“He is not….” Arsene Wenger appears to advises Arteta against signing player even thou many Arsenal fans want Arteta to sign him

Arsene Wenger appears to have already advised Arteta against signing player even thou many Arsenal fans want Arteta to sign him
What Arsene Wenger said about Man City star Ilkay Gundogan as Arsenal target summer transfer

Mikel Arteta could once again poach a crucial Manchester City star with the Arsenal boss eyeing a summer move for Ilkay Gundogan. Last season, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus completed a move to the Gunners from Man City for a combined fee of £77million, with both going on to be crucial in helping Arsenal push their former club right to the wire for the Premier League title.

A transfer repeat could now be on the cards as Arsenal hold a concrete interest in Gundogan, as reported by The Athletic. It is also said that Arteta is the driving factor behind it, having worked with the 32-year-old at Man City. A double swoop is also possible again with Joao Cancelo proving to be of interest to Arsenal, with his skills as an inverted full-back making him a perfect Arteta player.

Two additions to the Gunners’ engine room look likely given their large midfield short list and the expected summer departure of Granit Xhaka. The Arsenal star is in advanced talks to sign for Bayer Leverkusen in a £13million transfer, football.london understands.

Gundogan sees his contract expire at Etihad Stadium in just over a month although, according to The Mirror, Man City are now ready to offer him a new two-year deal. Barcelona have had a long-standing interest in acquiring the former Borussia Dortmund man on a free transfer with Gundogan also appearing receptive to the move.

According to a report from Sport, Gundogan hopes for a move to Barcelona, with it being claimed that Gundogan ‘intends’ to reside in Spain, rather than continuing in the Premier League.

This is not the first time that Arsenal have shown interest in Gundogan with the club linked in 2015 when Arsene Wenger was in charge. At the time, Gundogan was at Dortmund and the legendary Gunners manager addressed apparent interest in the midfielder directly, with a response similar to one that Arteta would likely opt for when discussing unconfirmed transfers.

“He’s not a defender,” he said in January 2015, as per Arsenal.com. “At the moment we are more looking for the defensive department.” Gundogan eventually arrived in the Premier League the following year for City where he has since won 12 trophies and made club captain this season following the departure of Fernandinho.

Bukayo Saka’s first words after signing new Arsenal contract as Premier League goal is revealed

William Saliba signs, Martin Odegaard next – Four dream Arsenal contracts to follow Bukayo Saka