Arsenal Transfer News Roundup: Gunners face Liverpool competition for Romeo Lavia; club ready to offload Folarin Balogun, and more - July 4, 2023
Arsenal mounted a spirited challenge for the Premier League title last season but came up short in the final weeks of the campaign. Mikel Arteta’s men finished five points adrift of the Cityzens, in second place.
Meanwhile, the Gunners face competition from Liverpool for the services of Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia. Elsewhere, the club are ready to offload striker Folarin Balugun this summer.
On that note, here's a look at the key Arsenal transfer stories as on July 4, 2023:
Arsenal face Liverpool competition for Romeo Lavia
Arsenal will have to ward off competition from Liverpool for Romeo Lavia’s signature.
The Belgian midfielder is likely to leave Southampton this summer following the Saint’s relegation from the Premier League. Arteta is working to further upgrade his squad this summer and has his eyes on the 19-year-old.
In his column for Caught Offside, Romano said that the Gunners want Lavia as a replacement for Thomas Partey if the Ghanaian leaves this summer.
“Arsenal also have an interest in Lavia but are 100% focused on closing the deal for Declan Rice at the moment, and then Jurrien Timber.
"Still, Lavia could be an option for them if Thomas Partey leaves the club. As previously mentioned, Partey has interest from Juventus and from Saudi clubs, but as of now, this is still nothing advanced,” wrote Romano.
He continued:
“There has also been a verbal agreement for Granit Xhaka to join Bayer Leverkusen, which has been in place since May. It’s very advanced, but now it’s up to Arsenal. They will look to resolve final details of the Rice story and then decide on Xhaka and Partey.”
Romano added that Liverpool are now in contact with Southampton to facilitate a move for the Belgian.
“Liverpool are now in the race for Lavia. They are working on the deal and are having direct contacts on both the player and club side. The original plan this summer was always to sign three new midfielders after Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner left.”
The north London side also have their eyes on Moises Caicedo, but the Ecuadorian is not a priority for Arteta this summer.
Gunners ready to offload Folarin Balogun
Arsenal are ready to offload Folarin Balogun this summer, according to club insider Teamnewsandtix.
The 21-year-old enjoyed an explosive run with Reims last season, finishing with 22 goals and three assists in 39 appearances across competitions. However, he's likely to struggle for game time at the Emirates next season, owing to the number of players ahead of him in the pecking order.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Teamnewsandtix said that the Gunners will decide the player’s price tag depending on the interest in his signature.
“Balogun is weird because in the last couple of days, two stories have come out with different prices that Arsenal are willing to accept.
"As far as I know, Arsenal are happy to sell him. It's a decision I'm also on board with personally, not that that overly matters, but yeah, it's about what price point and who's looking at him,” said Teamnewsandtix.
They continued:
“And obviously with price point, it depends on who's looking. I mean, we can say we want £40m, for example, but if you're only getting Ligue 1 teams looking at him, and their names aren't PSG, they're not going to pay £40m. It's just not going to happen. So the price will be judged by who's looking."
There’s considerable interest in Balogun from the Premier League, too.
Arsenal eyeing Ben Johnson
Arsenal are interested in Ben Johnson, according to The Express. The 23-year-old caught the eye with West Ham United last season, so Arteta wants to bring him to the Emirates.
The Spanish manager is looking to improve his options at right-back ahead of the new campaign. Neither Ben White nor Takehiro Tomiyasu are long-term candidates for the position, and Arteta is looking at Johnson as a solution.
The Englishman is versatile enough to operate in the centre-back position, too, which would suit the Gunners. Johnson’s contract with the Hammers runs till the end of next season, but he could be available on a cut-price deal this year.
The Gunners are now concluding talks with West Ham for Declan Rice, and Johnson could be the next player to make the short trip across London.