Arsenal Transfer News: Top Rumours, Latest Players Targeted by Gunners

Arsenal will reportedly seek to rekindle a deal for Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez after failing to negotiate terms in the January window.

According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Lucas Sposito of Sport Witness), the two clubs were in negotiations over the player earlier on in the year, labelling the process as an "ongoing operation" before Tiago picked up a long-term injury. Now Gunners manager Arsene Wenger "could come back" for the Spaniard, it’s claimed.

While Saul grabbed the spotlight on Wednesday night with a stunning winning goal against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg, he’s long cemented himself as a key player in Diego Simeone’s team. Here is a look at some of his best moments of the season:

The 21-year-old has a lot of traits Arsenal lack, too. Saul has a lot of quality on the ball, always a requisite for the Gunners; however, he has all the attributes you’d expect of a young player thriving in a Simeone side.

PATRIK STOLLARZ/Getty Images

Saul is tremendously multifaceted, and running the rule over his game, there are very few weaknesses. He’s diligent in his defensive duties, enjoys a tackle, can carry the ball forward, jink past opponents and play intelligent passes. At the core of this Arsenal team, or any Premier League side, he’d be a major force.

As Whoscored.com noted, Saul has been a big threat in the attacking third so far this term in the Champions League, too:

It’s noted by Sposito there is a release clause of €45 million (£35.2 million) in Saul’s contract, and "there’s no way he’s leaving for a penny less." That would make for a significant outlay for Arsenal, although looking at what kind of qualities this team needs to move forward, it would be money well spent.

Saul is a player who will likely be on the radar of a lot of elite clubs this summer, with Sposito having reported that Manchester United and Barcelona have also been linked with the Spaniard. Luring him away from Atletico will be tough, although staving off competition from other juggernauts of European football would be the biggest test for the Gunners.

Arsenal Join Kostas Manolas Race

ALBERTO PIZZOLI/Getty Images

According to Chris Wheatley of Goal, Arsenal have made Roma’s Kostas Manolas their "top defensive target" and will rival a host of Premier League sides for his signature.

Chelsea, Manchester United and Everton have also been linked with the 24-year-old defender, who has been outstanding for the capital club since joining from Olympiakos. The next Chelsea boss, Antonio Conte, is said to have held talks with the player already, and the Blues "remain confident that they can beat the likes of Arsenal and United to his signature," per Wheatley.

Manolas seems like he’s tailor-made for English football, and he’s a player who continues to excel in Serie A. Here’s how he compares statistically to Arsenal’s current first-choice centre-back pairing in league matches:

	Manolas	Mertesacker	Koscielny
Apps (Sub)	33 (1)	23	30
Goals	2	0	4
Tackles per game	1.7	1.1	1.4
Interceptions per game	1.9	1.5	3.8
Clearances per game	4.2	4.7	5.6
Blocks per game	0.8	0.4	0.8
Passing accuracy	86.1 %	89.1 %	87.3 %

The brittle defensive setup has been a big problem for the Gunners for a while now. The lack of a natural goalscorer at the point of the attack has been lamented as the main issue when it comes to this team failing to win major honours, but there’s always a sense that Arsenal will crumble when pinned back under pressure.

GRAHAM STUART/Getty Images

Manolas, who is uncompromising and authoritative in his style of play, would certainly go a long way to changing that. If Wenger does indeed make him a priority and promises him a first-team berth alongside Laurent Koscielny, then the Emirates Stadium would be the most attractive proposition of the clubs aforementioned.