Manager Mikel Arteta is keen to strengthen his squad with a new winger this summer, though a striker remains his top priority.
Arsenal have been strongly linked with Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, with the club reportedly ready to invest heavily in both positions.
Leao would bring significant quality to Arsenal’s attack. The 25-year-old Portuguese has established himself as one of Europe’s best wide forwards during six seasons at Milan, scoring 70 goals and providing 62 assists in 260 appearances.
This campaign alone, Leao – who is worth €75million (£66m) on Transfermarkt – has contributed 12 goals and 13 assists
Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams is another winger Arteta reportedly admires, but the club has made direct contact with Leao, with Berta’s phone call highlighting their interest.
According to Foot Mercato, Arsenal have ‘spoken’ to Leao about a transfer as Milan and the player ‘consider a separation’.
There is ‘interest from several clubs’ and the report confirms that the Portuguese winger ‘is on Arsenal’s shortlist’.
The Gunners are keen but Leao ‘is not their top priority’. However, new sporting director Andrea Berta ‘had a telephone conversation with Leao about ten days ago, showing the club’s interest’.
In addition to Leao, Arsenal have also been linked with Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, another winger tipped for a big move this summer
Transfer expert Ben Jacobs recently highlighted Rodrygo as a player to watch, noting that Arsenal appear well-positioned among Premier League clubs to land the Brazilian.
“As I broke six weeks ago, Rodrygo and Premier League clubs is one to watch,” Jacobs explained this week.
“The three I was told was Liverpool – who are now not in the race, but they were aware of the opportunity, Arsenal and Chelsea.
Jacobs went on to clarify the current situation with Chelsea, stating, “Chelsea don’t yet know what they want to do with their wide players, with Rodrygo, I think Chelsea are now less inclined to do that deal, but Arsenal are still exploring it.”
Arsenal’s interest in these two wide players signals their clear intent to improve attacking options ahead of the 2025/26 season. Bringing in an elite winger and a goalscoring striker could be key to finally getting over the line in the Premier League and making a deeper run in Europe.
The Gunners are set to finish second in the Premier League for a third consecutive year and reached the Champions League semi-final this season, where they were narrowly eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain.
With the summer transfer window still some weeks away, these moves remain speculative for now — but Arsenal’s early activity suggests the club means business.
