Arsenal
Premier League • England
Arsenal to hand Arteta £53m star as ‘gift’ for winning Premier League title, with new contract not deterring Edu
A report has revealed which player Arsenal will sign as a ‘gift’ for Mikel Arteta if they are successful in winning the Premier League title.
Arsenal sit top of the table after 30 games, having won 23 times and picked up 73 points. They have a six-point lead on chasers Manchester City, although Pep Guardiola’s side do have a game in hand and can cut that gap down to three points if they win it.
Arsenal were on track for yet another victory when they went 2-0 up against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday. Gabriel Martinelli poked past Alisson to give Arsenal the lead, and Gabriel Jesus then headed home from a Martinelli cross to double their advantage.
But Granit Xhaka then riled up the Liverpool crowd when getting involved in an exchange with Trent Alexander-Arnold and this gave Jurgen Klopp’s men renewed energy.
Mo Salah dragged Liverpool back into the match with a close-range finish at the back post, while Roberto Firmino scored a late header after fantastic work by Alexander-Arnold as the game ended 2-2.
Arsenal will have mixed emotions about the draw. They will be happy about picking up a point at such a hostile stadium as Anfield, although they will also feel they should have gained all three points after dominating in the first 40 minutes.
If Arsenal manage to hold off City and lift their first Prem title since 2003-04, then the Gunners will need more top players to join ahead of a busy season in the Champions League.
And Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport claim the first signing Arsenal will pursue is of Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. The report claims Arsenal will land Milinkovic-Savic as a ‘gift’ to Arteta if the club’s title hunt ends in triumph.
Arsenal can finally snare long-term target
The 28-year-old has long been linked with a Premier League move. Arsenal and Manchester United have generally been named as his main suitors, although Newcastle United are also capable of signing him after their big-money takeover.
It is claimed Milinkovic-Savic rejected moves to Arsenal and Newcastle last summer as neither club could offer him Champions League football. But that will change this summer, as Arsenal, Newcastle and Man Utd are all currently in the top four.
Arsenal appear to be the best-placed club to sign the Serie A star. Over the weekend, Italian journalist Niccolo Ceccarini revealed they are pushing the hardest to capture him. And if they win the Prem crown, then Milinkovic-Savic will find it incredibly hard to resist their advances.
It must be noted that Lazio want to keep their talisman and are trying to tie him down to a new contract, with his current deal due to expire in June 2024.
Lazio have offered Milinkovic-Savic an extension running until summer 2026. But, crucially, this will not put off Arsenal sporting director Edu.
Lazio are having to compromise by including a €60m (£53m) release clause in the new deal. And Edu is preparing to meet this sum in order to hand Arteta a top-class midfielder.
The long-winded links between Milinkovic-Savic and Arsenal could finally result in a transfer this summer, with the player getting closer to an Emirates move.
Meanwhile, Arsenal will face competition from Man Utd for the signing of a hugely impressive La Liga ace.