Arsenal are understood to be planning five signings during the summer transfer window with Barcelona’s Samuel Umtiti and Bayern Munich’s David Alaba at the top of manager Unai Emery’s wishlist.
The north London side have endured another mixed campaign in the Premier League and they are currently lying in the fourth position in the table with eight games left for the season.
According to The Independent, the Gunners hierarchy are said to be already planning for the summer where they could pursue as many as five players to enhance the club’s prospects of competing for the league title next term.
The same report adds that Umtiti and Alaba are among the top names on the club’s radar, with the former appearing more likely to part ways with his respective club at the end of the season.
Umtiti had been a regular feature for the Blaugrana during the course of the previous season, but he has not enjoyed the same run this term with injuries restricting him to just eight starts in the Spanish La Liga.
Of late, he has been playing second fiddle to Clement Lenglet and Gerard Pique for the central defensive duties and The Independent suggests that the potential arrival of Matthijs de Ligt from Ajax could see the Blaugrana cash in on the World Cup winner.
Elsewhere, David Alaba does not face a similar situation with Bayern, but there has been the extended speculation linking him with the Gunners following the recent acknowledgement over his boyhood support for the Gunners.
A report from The Mail last month claimed that the Gunners could work on a reduced £45m budget for the summer and in such a case, the club have pretty much no chance of pursuing the defensive players mentioned above.
However, the budget could be significantly enhanced with the club’s return to the Champions League next term and that could define the business during the forthcoming transfer window.
Arsenal are scheduled to host Newcastle United in the Premier League on Monday night.
