Arsenal have reportedly been offered the chance to sign a Paris Saint-Germain sensation next summer, although he will not come cheap, and the Gunners are not exclusive when it comes to potentially landing a player they arguably do not even need.
With sporting director Andrea Berta having led a transfer splurge worth more than £250million over the summer to improve Mikel Arteta’s title-chasing squad, the January window is expected to be a fairly quiet one – one unless injuries force the club’s hand.
That might not be the case again for the summer of 2026, however, if the latest reports are to be believed.
Indeed, Arsenal are being tipped to potentially snap up PSG midfield wonderkid Warren Zaire-Emery in what would be a stunning swoop from the club.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Defensa Central, the Gunners, Manchester City, and Real Madrid will have the opportunity to sign Zaire-Emery in next summer’s transfer window.
Intermediaries are said to have ‘approached’ the French giants to discuss a possible move for the 19-year-old, who could be open to the possibility of a transfer. However, PSG are expected to demand in the region of €90m (£78m / $105m) to even consider a parting of the ways.
Zaire-Emery has established himself as one of European football’s best young midfielders since breaking into the first-team squad in Paris.
Indeed, he became PSG’s youngest-ever player when he made his first-team bow in August 2022, and he has made nearly 150 appearances thus far for Les Parisiens, chipping in with eight goals and nine assists in that time.
Andrea Berta, Arsenal badge and Mikel Arteta – copyright TEAMtalk
Does Mikel Arteta really need another midfielder?
The big question that has to be raised is whether Arsenal really want to splash out nearly £80m on adding another player in Arteta’s already packed engine room.
The report adds that Zaire-Emery has been targeted as a long-term replacement for Christian Norgaard, who is on the wrong side of 30, at The Emirates.
The Denmark international has only ever been viewed as a short-term fix for the Gunners, with Zaire-Emery’s versatility viewed as a strong asset for Arteta.
However, there is no way the north London outfit are spending that sort of money on a rotational midfielder, given how well Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice have been working in tandem early into the new season.
There’s certainly no argument when it comes to Zaire-Emery’s versatility, given he’s already played in three different roles for PSG this season – including two games at right-back.
A move to Arsenal just seems a stretch, though, given what Arteta already has at his disposal, with a move to a Premier League rival arguably more likely.
That rival would be City, who have been tracking Zaire-Emery for a number of years and are in the middle of rebuilding Pep Guardiola’s squad after their struggles last season.
Indeed, there have been some doubts raised over Rodri struggling to rediscover his best form after the long spell he spent on the sidelines recovering from his ACL injury.
To that end, it’s probably more likely that Zaire-Emery ends up in Manchester rather than the capital next summer – if he even leaves PSG at all.
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