Arsenal report: £35m Spanish wonderkid bid 'certain to be accepted'
Arsenal are leading the race for a highly-rated Spanish star who will set them back around £35m this summer
Arsenal are set to see a £35 million bid for a Spanish wonderkid "certain to [be] accepted", as the Gunners look to add more quality to their squad.
The Gunners accumulated 50 points in the first half of the season with a consistent line-up, as manager Mikel Arteta chose not to rotate a winning team. With key players out injured in recent weeks, however, Arsenal have started dropping points, highlighting the need for better depth across the side.
The priority for Arsenal this summer remains a top midfielder, with Declan Rice heavily rumoured. But there's a real need, too, for added quality in key positions where first-choice stars have become almost irreplaceable in the second half of the season.
According to AS in Spain, Arsenal are chasing Celta Vigo star, Gabri Veiga.
The 20-year-old playmaker is extremely highly-rated, with his La Liga sides wanting around £35m to secure his signature. According to the report, Arsenal are leading the race.
Celta would be "certain to accept" a bid for the player this summer, according to the report, with Manchester City also said to be in the race for the star. Veiga has nine goals and four assists from 28 appearances this season.
With Rice likely to play as a defensive midfielder in the long-term under Mikel Arteta, Veiga addresses another need. The Spaniard would slot into one of the No.8 slots in the team, likely competing with Fabio Vieira, who has struggled at times since joining from Porto last summer.
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It's likely that Veiga would be the alternative to Mason Mount. Mount has been linked as an option as a No.8 for Arsenal next season – while Rice has also been touted to fill that role, with Thomas Partey continuing in defensive midfield.
Veiga is valued at around €30m by Transfermarkt.
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Arsenal are already being linked with a host of big names ahead of a summer back in the Champions League.
Mason Mount is an option in midfield, with Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic and Bayer Leverkusen's Moussa Diaby rumoured in the attack. Both Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins and Crystal Palace star Wilf Zaha are on the radar, too. Younger stars are interesting the Gunners, too: Vitor Roque might end up at the Emirates, while Flamengo's Matheus Franca is being watched.
Meanwhile, cult hero Mathieu Flamini has refused to rule out a move to buy Arsenal.
Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.