Arsenal are kicking on in the summer transfer window, with Andrea Berta moving rapidly.
It’s becoming clear why Arsenal hired Berta as their new sporting director, as the Italian has burst into action.
Mikel Arteta may have as many as six new signings with him for Arsenal’s pre-season plans, with medicals imminent and deals close to completion.
Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyokeres and Cristhian Mosquera could join Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard in the Arsenal squad very soon, with the next wave of possible arrivals also in the works.
Eberechi Eze is on Berta’s radar, but the Crystal Palace maestro isn’t the only player on the sporting director’s wishlist.
Arsenal have shown strong interest in Rodrygo, who is having a testing time at Real Madrid in the early days of Xabi Alonso’s reign.
During the Club World Cup, Alonso hardly used Rodrygo, which would’ve alerted plenty of potential suitors.
Speaking of the Brazilian winger, journalist Sami Mokbel touched upon Arsenal’s interest when talking on the Latte Firm podcast.
Mokbel confirmed that the Gunners remain ‘very interested’ in the 24-year-old, detailing the contact that has already taken place.
“Arsenal are very interested in Rodrygo. They’ve spoken to the relevant parties connected to the player to see if he’d be up for it, I think they’ve got positive feedback that he’d give it serious consideration.”
Like every high-profile signing, there’s a lot more than quality to be considered, as Mokbel explained when covering the finances of the transfer.
“What I am hearing is the finances attached to that deal — not necessarily just the fee, you’re looking in excess of £70m, probably closer to £80m — he would be commanding a big, big wage.
“Arsenal can do, but I think they need to be creative in how they can accomplish that deal and make sure they’ve got money coming in because they’ve already had a significant spend.”
It’s understood that Arsenal will need to sell players before signing additional talent, which could put a possible move for Rodrygo on hold.
As Mokbel raised, it’s not only Rodrygo’s transfer fee that would be a significant cost for Arsenal.
The Brazilian collects a weekly wage of £207k at Real Madrid, according to Capology, which would make him one of Arsenal’s highest-paid players if he were to have his demands met.
An annual salary of £10.7m would make Rodrygo the fourth-highest paid player in the current Arsenal squad, which is a considerable expense.
It will be fascinating to see how the club works to balance the books this summer, with a lot of spending and selling set to happen before the 2025/26 season commences.
