Arsenal Transfer News Roundup: Gunners in talks to sign Joao Cancelo; club confident of William Saliba stay, and more - June 8, 2023
Arsenal narrowly missed out on the Premier League, losing ground in the title race in the final weeks. Mikel Arteta's men finished second, five points behind champions Manchester City.
Meanwhile, the Gunners are locked in talks with City for the signature of defender Joao Cancelo. Elsewhere, the north London side are confident of keeping centre-back William Saliba at the Emirates.
On that note, here's a look at the key Arsenal transfer stories as on June 8, 2023:
Arsenal in talks to sign Joao Cancelo
Arsenal are locked in talks with Manchester City regarding a possible move for Joao Cancelo, according to journalist Dharmesh Sheth via Caught Offside.
The Portuguese right-back spent the second half of the season on loan with Bayern Munich after falling out of favour at the Emirates. The Bavarians are not expected to sign him permanently this summer, so he's set to return to City.
However, Cancelo is surplus to requirements at the Premier League champions, and the Gunners are looking to prise him away. Arteta wants a specialist right-back as an upgrade on Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White and has set his sights on the Portuguese. The north London side have already initiated talks with Manchester City to assess the possibility of a move this summer.
The two parties differ in their valuation of the 29-year-old at the moment. However, negotiations are likely to continue till a breakthrough is reached, as Arsenal want to sign the player, and City are eager to offload him.
Gunners confident of William Saliba stay
Arsenal are confident of keeping William Saliba at the Emirates, according to journalist Ryan Taylor.
The French defender's contract with the Gunners expires in one year, and the club are locked in talks with the player for an extension. They have struggled to reach a breakthrough so far, prompting interest from the 22-year-old's suitors.
Saliba has been in exceptional form for Arteta's side this campaign, forging a stellar partnership with Gabriel at the heart of the backline. The 22-year-old has helped register 14 clean sheets in 34 games across competitions for the north London side. Arsenal are eager to sort out his future at the earliest to end speculation regarding his future.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Taylor said that the Gunners reckon they can tie Saliba down to a new deal.
"I think I would probably take those reports with a pinch of salt. I think it's pretty obvious that Saliba is going to be attracting interest from elsewhere because of how good he's been in his debut season in the Premier League.
"But from what I understand, Arsenal still feel in control of the situation, and they're still confident that they will be able to to finalise that contract," said Taylor.
Saliba enjoyed a brilliant loan spell with Marseille in the 2021-22 season and is also generating interest from Ligue 1.
Arsenal yet to agree personal terms with Declan Rice
Arsenal are yet to agree personal terms with Declan Rice, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
The English midfielder is heavily linked with a move to the Emirates this summer. Rice will enter the final year of his contract with West Ham United next month but is reluctant to sign a new deal.
The Gunners have made the 24-year-old their priority target this year and are pushing to secure his signature. Rice has been outstanding for the Hammers in recent seasons and could transform Arteta's midfield. The Spanish manager is set to lose Granit Xhaka this summer, so he's desperate to bring in the Englishman to address the situation.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones said that Rice is likely to demand a contract worth £250,000 per week.
"In terms of making progress on personal terms, all they have at the moment is an awareness of what his expectations are. They haven't actually agreed anything.
"There's an understanding of what Rice is earning now, what he's projected to get if he was to stay at West Ham, which isn't going to happen, and what they need to pay," said Jones.
He continued:
"So, at the moment, I wouldn't expect that to be less than £250k-a-week. He could get £200k-a-week if he was to stay at West Ham."
Arsenal are likely to face competition from Manchester United and Bayern Munich for Rice's signature.