Arsenal are likely to have a busy summer on the transfer front as Edu and Mikel Arteta look to strengthen their squad further.
The Gunners took the Premier League title race to the final day of the season and also reached the Champions League quarter-finals last term.
With a few more solid additions, Arsenal will hope to go all the way in the title race and perhaps even push for the Champions League trophy.
Now, with Euro 2024 on the horizon, scouts from all the top clubs will likely be keeping tabs on the players set to compete in Germany.
Major international tournaments are the best kind of shop windows for footballers, and we could well see some lesser-known players become stars in the coming weeks.
Sky Sports have shared a list of 10 players they expect to have a breakout campaign at Euro 2024, and a top talent linked with Arsenal has made the cut.
The player in question is Paris Saint-Germain’s Xavi Simons, who impressed on loan at RB Leipzig last season.
Sports Lens claimed in April that Arsenal have been tracking the 21-year-old for some time amid ‘genuine elite levels of performance’.
In terms of price tag, Spanish outlet Sport reported that the Ligue 1 giants are willing to start discussions for Simons at €60million (around £52million).
What have Sky Sports said about Arsenal target Xavi Simons?
‘Xavi Simons makes this list more in hope than expectation, with the 21-year-old yet to replicate his club form with the Netherlands,’ wrote Sky Sports.
‘Simons – a highly creative midfielder capable of playing out wide – shone for PSV in the 2022/23 season before rejoining Paris Saint-Germain, who sent him on loan to RB Leipzig for the following campaign.
‘Ten goals and 15 assists followed as Simons produced another impressive season, and he is being linked with some of Europe’s biggest clubs amid uncertainty over whether he will return to PSG.
‘Simons’ struggles internationally saw him fail to record a goal or an assist in his first 13 games for the Oranje.
‘However, he comes into the tournament fresh from breaking his duck in the Netherlands’ 4-0 win over Iceland in their final warm-up game ahead of the Euros.
‘Ronald Koeman’s attack is a little lacking in stardust. If the manager can finally tease the best out of Simons, the Netherlands’ chances of making an impact in Germany will increase significantly.’
Arsenal scouts will no doubt be keeping tabs on players at Euro 2024, and with Simons’ future uncertain, he could well be in line for a move – at the Emirates or elsewhere – after the tournament.