Arsenal could sign Rodrygo and Marc Guehi for net spend of £25m with clever swap deal

Real Madrid are now said to be pushing for a deal to sign an Arsenal star who might be willing to leave the club. The Gunners have had a busy summer so far, with Andrea Berta applying an efficient approach to the club’s recruitment.

Arsenal have already signed Noni Madueke, Christian Norgaard, Martin Zubimendi and Kepa Arrizabalaga, and we are expecting to see Viktor Gyokeres and Cristhian Mosquera to pen deals over the course of the next week.

Arsenal may not be done there, either, but they are going to have to balance their spending at some point this summer. There are some obvious candidates to leave the club, with Oleksandr Zinchenko, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson all near the top of the list, while there are question marks over Jakub Kiwior’s future.

It also can’t be ruled out that Arsenal receive approaches for some of their starters, and according to reports in Spain, Real Madrid are still interested in star defender William Saliba. According to Marca, Real Madrid’s move to land Saliba is ‘already underway’, and it’s claimed the defender is willing to make a ‘financial sacrifice’ to make the deal happen.

Saliba is under contract until 2027, and it’s likely Arsenal would demand around £100million to even consider an approach for one of their starting centre-backs, but there could be a solution.

Arsenal could lose Saliba and do double deal

Arsenal continue to be linked with a move for Real Madrid winger Rodrygo, who is said to be valued at just over £70million, but there is talk that asking price could be reduced a little. Rodrygo is extremely experienced for his age, already winning two Champions League titles and three La Liga titles at the age of 24, racking up 172 league appearances for Real Madrid.

The Gunners could propose a swap deal with Real Madrid to land Rodrygo and sell Saliba for around £25million extra. They could then take that money and purchase Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi for an additional £25million or so. Guehi is perhaps behind Saliba, but he has shown he is plenty capable at Premier League and international level, playing against some of the best strikers in the world, including Erling Haaland.

Guehi is only 25 years of age, too, so Arsenal would be getting two players whose prime years are still ahead of them while only spending around £25million, or perhaps a little more, depending on Crystal Palace’s demands. Losing Saliba would be a blow, but if the defender does want to move - which remains to be seen - then there could be a smooth solution in the offing.

Arsenal’s preference is likely to be to keep Saliba, and understandably so, but they will have to consider balancing their spending this summer and beyond, and if a nine-figure offer is submitted by Real Madrid, they will at least have to consider their best course of action.

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