Arsenal plot explosive double deal as Arteta drives £110m Barcelona attacking raid

Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Barcelona attackers Ferran Torres and Raphinha in the summer, with Mikel Arteta an admirer of both available stars.

The Gunners have been the second-most proficient attacking outfit in the Premier League this season. Indeed, their tally of 62 goals is just one shy of league leaders Liverpool’s.

Goals have come from all areas of the pitch, with only Bukayo Saka having passed 10 league goals at this point in the campaign.

While that shows that a lot of players are chipping in in order to drive results, Arteta would surely be even happier if he had attackers in his side that were bagging lots of goals week after week.

Last season, no Arsenal player scored more than 15 goals in all competitions, while the sides that rounded out the top three – Manchester City and Manchester United – both had players that netted over 30 goals across the campaign.

Aware that his Arsenal front line might not be at the same level in terms of pure attacking prowess as the sides around them, Arteta is clearly looking to upgrade.

He recently stated his side “have to be in the conversation” to sign players like Kylian Mbappe.

He has also begun tracking some top quality attackers, with a Barcelona pair now high up on his list.

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Arteta after Barcelona attacking duo

According to HITC, the Gunners are eyeing up a raid of the Nou Camp, with Torres and Raphinha both on the radar.

It’s believed that the La Liga giants are going to be open to offers for both men as a result of their current financial troubles.

Raphinha is already a target of big sides such as Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea, and now the Gunners are ‘keen’ on him as well.

Arteta is also said to be an ‘admirer’ of Torres, and could therefore make attempts to sign both men in what would be an explosive deal.

It’s said Barcelona have informed the winger they will ‘listen to offers’ for him, just over two years after he made the move from Manchester City for approximately £55million.

Raphinha was around the same price, but with Barca looking to make quick money, the price tags of the pair might well have dropped, and a double deal could therefore be possible.

Both stars have Prem experience

It’s not hard to see the appeal of both Raphinha and Torres. The former was a target of Arsenal when he left Leeds for Barcelona, after he had bagged 11 goals and three assists in his final season in the Premier League.

In Spain, he’s been directly involved in 35 goals in 74 games – 13 of those goal contributions have come this season, within 24 games.

Torres’ spell in England was shot but sweet – he scored 16 goals and provided four assists in 43 Manchester City games, winning the Premier League in his first campaign.

He’s been directly involved in 15 goals in all competitions this season for Barca. In reference to their attacking talents, both men could help to add some kick to the Arsenal attack, rounding out the side and making them a very fierce outfit.

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