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Transfers
Barcelona ‘very close’ to beating Arsenal to ‘exceptional’ player
Arsenal are reportedly set to miss out on a rumoured transfer target to FC Barcelona, who are close to reaching an agreement.
The north London side have stepped up their efforts in the summer market in some way in the past few days, with Arsenal agreeing to personal terms with Mikel Merino having already announced the signing of Riccardo Calafiori earlier this week.
With Eddie Nketiah also striking an agreement with Olympique Marseille, plenty of movement is happening for Arsenal both in terms of incoming and outgoings, where the Gunners will busy right up until deadline day.
Yet it appears that one target won’t be heading to north London this summer.
Joao Cancelo set to join Barcelona despite Arsenal interest
According to , Barcelona are ‘very close’ to reaching a full agreement to sign Cancelo, who will join the La Liga giants on loan with an obligation to buy from Manchester City having spent last season in Catalonia.
Once lauded by Pep Guardiola via as ‘exceptional’, Arsenal were linked with a move for Cancelo this summer, with the defender a player who could have fit Mikel Arteta’s system given his technical quality and versatility.
However, it now appears that Barcelona have won the race to sign Cancelo, who after being frozen out at City is now set for a new chapter in his career with the European giants under new manager Hansi Flick.
As for Arsenal, losing out on Cancelo won’t feel like a huge blow given the recent addition of Calafiori, with the Gunners now having arguably the best selection of defenders out of any team in the Premier League going into the new season.
Arsenal need to think of other areas of the squad this summer
With Calafiori signed and Arsenal’s defensive options looking stacked heading into the new campaign, focusing on other areas of the squad needs to be Arteta’s new priority for the transfer window.
With talks ongoing for Merino and an attacker still on Arsenal’s radar, it’s clear that the north London side have a clear plan on what they want to do for the remainder of the summer, with the Premier League title up for grabs next season.
And if Arsenal can sign smartly this summer, there’s a real chance that the Gunners can go one step further and beat City to the championship in the new campaign, where the north London side will feel confident about going all the way.