Arsenal now have a surprise opportunity to sign a midfielder Mikel Arteta has dreamed of bringing to the club for years.
Despite bringing Declan Rice to the Emirates Stadium last summer, Arteta is now thought to be keen to make another marquee midfield signing at Arsenal this summer.
Thomas Partey looks set to leave Arsenal, and although Jorginho has signed a new deal, further numbers will be needed.
Arsenal need a new starter, and Edu and his team will either be searching for a natural number six, or a profile can play a variety of midfield roles.
It would be a surprise if Arteta abandoned his experiment of playing Rice as a number eight – explaining why the club are likely to prioritise a signing for their pivot.
A few names have been mentioned this summer, with Benfica’s 19-year-old Joao Neves the latest world-class talent to be linked with a move to Arsenal.
Otherwise, there’s Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, who is said to have been of interest to Arteta for a long time.
But, when it comes to long-standing admiration, Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz trumps all others.
Aston Villa willing to sell Arsenal target Douglas Luiz because of PSR struggles
Luiz has often been considered Arteta’s ‘dream’ signing, one that has never come to fruition because of Villa’s hard stance, which previously rejected any interest.
But according to Mail Sport, that’s a position that has now changed amid the club’s PSR difficulties.
Villa need to balance their books before June 30, and Luiz has emerged as an obvious, if not reluctant player to sell.
Arsenal legend Gilberto Silva previously told Arsenal to buy Luiz, believing he could still take his game to the next level.
And perhaps this revelation could ignite Arsenal’s pursuit once again.
It remains to be seen how much Villa would demand for Luiz, given the 26-year-old still has a contract which runs until 2026.
But given that Arsenal are targeting a cut-price deal for Benjamin Sesko this month, they perhaps could afford to chase both moves.
There’s certainly a lot of moving pieces for Edu and his recruitment team, but if Arsenal execute their departures well this month, there’s no reason why they can’t execute two hugely ambitious moves.
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