'Ready to pay big' - Arsenal tipped for bold €60m transfer raid amid Man United and Liverpool interest

Arsenal will be looking ahead to the summer transfer window after failing to add any players in January.

Mikel Arteta’s side sit second in the Premier League table, six points away from league leaders Liverpool, who also have a game in hand on the Gunners. Arsenal don’t play this weekend due to getting knocked out of the FA Cup to Man United, so will get a break to recover from their Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle.

The Gunners will take some time to rest and train ahead of their next game which is a Premier League visit to Leicester City on Saturday 15 January. However, this week, they have been linked to a Swedish midfielder for the future.

Arsenal linked with Hugo Larsson alongside Man United and Liverpool

Reports have emerged linking Arsenal to Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Hugo Larsson, who has shone in the Bundesliga. Many top European clubs are said to be keen on the 20-year-old, who still has a lot of potential.

According to Caught Offside, Arsenal, Man United and Liverpool are the most keen on the midfielder, but Man City, Tottenham and Real Madrid are reportedly interested also. The report also states that Frankfurt values him at €60m (£50m), and that Arsenal, Man United and Liverpool have made early indications to the player’s representatives that they could make a move for him in the summer transfer window.

Larsson came through the academy at Swedish side Malmo, before he moved to Frankfurt for a fee of £7.5m in July 2023. The midfielder has since made 67 appearances for the German club, scoring six goals and three assists. He has also made eight appearances for the Sweden National Team.

He plays as a central midfielder, who tends to be slightly more defensive than attacking, similar to Declan Rice however, in the sense that he can create chances, and would likely develop into more of an attacking player. The 20-year-old’s contract at Frankfurt expires in the summer of 2029, he does not currently have a release clause, and so Arsenal will have to make a competitive bid for the youngster in order to land him over the likes of Man United and Liverpool.

He could help to replace both Thomas Partey and Jorginho, whose contracts expire at the end of the season, meaning that they will both likely leave on a free transfer in the summer.

Arsenal aim to revamp midfield in the summer transfer window

The Gunners have reportedly agreed to pay the release clause for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. The release clause is set at £51m, and reports emerged in the January window that a deal for the Spaniard is virtually complete. Zubimendi would join at the Emirates in the summer transfer window, if a deal is completed.

He has made 21 league appearances so far this season, scoring one goal and one assist for Sociedad, who sit 11th in La Liga, 13 points away from the Champions League places. Zubimendi could join up with former teammate Mikel Merino at Arsenal, who made the move from Sociedad in the summer transfer window. Merino has since played 25 games for Arteta, scoring two goals and contributing one assist.