Arsenal getting ready to make a surprise move to sign a Man City player as questions swirl around Pep Guardiola’s future
Arsenal are reportedly planning a surprise move to sign a Manchester City player this summer, especially with uncertainty around Pep Guardiola’s future. Guardiola is expected to leave City at the end of this season after ten years in charge, with Enzo Maresca likely to take over. Although Guardiola hasn’t officially said he’s leaving yet, he plans to talk with his players, staff, and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak soon.
On the player side, City have already announced that John Stones and Bernardo Silva will leave as free agents next month. Rodri is linked with a move to Real Madrid, and The Athletic’s Sam Lee mentioned on the ‘Let Me Talk’ podcast that another Spanish midfielder, Nico Gonzalez, might also leave.
Nico played an important role for Guardiola earlier this season but has had less playing time recently. The same goes for Tijjani Reijnders, who made a strong start with goals and assists but has only started once in the Premier League since February. The 27-year-old Dutch midfielder joined City from AC Milan last summer for about £46.5 million, but he might be on the move again.
According to TEAMtalk, Arsenal are keeping an eye on Reijnders and could make a surprise bid in the summer. City want to get back most, if not all, of the money they spent on him as they rebuild their midfield. Arsenal see Reijnders as someone who could strengthen their squad, especially to help with rotation during a busy season.
Before signing new players, Arsenal might focus on letting some go. Last week, The Athletic’s David Ornstein said there are “obvious candidates” to leave ahead of the transfer window. He added that selling players will be important for Arsenal this summer, though it’s not clear if sales need to happen before new signings.
So far, Arsenal have confirmed one permanent departure: center-back Jakub Kiwior will join FC Porto after they activated a £14.7 million option to buy him from his loan deal.