Welcome to the summer silly season! It’s time to take a spin through the latest churnings in the Arsenal FC transfer rumor mill. And we start with the most important position of all- owner!
Spotify owner Daniel Ek previously saw his £1.8 billion offer rejected by the current owner, Stan Kroenke last month, but according to Sky Sports, he’s set to return with an increased bid of £2bn. It still might not be enough, as the Kroenkes seem adamant about holding on to the club.
Amid extremely passionate and very sizable supporter protests against the ownership group, back in April, Kroenke’s son Josh released a statement saying Kroenke Sports Entertainment are not selling any percentage of their stake in the club.
Fan sentiment against KSE has been strong for some time, but the attempts to participate in the now failed European Super League venture brought it all to a boiling point. The north London club missed out on a place in European competition (even as yet another tournament was added in the UEFA Conference League) for the first time in a quarter century by finishing eighth in the Premier League this past season.
In other words, yes there seems to be a need for change, and you can understand why the supporters are so upset.
Moving on, Brighton & Hove Albion have seen their stellar central defender, Ben White, make the England squad for Euro 2020. There is always a market for top notch centrebacks, but maybe even more so this summer.
Arsenal certainly know the value of having depth and talent at the position, given all their recent defensive woes and that’s why’s they’re said to be keen on the man whose acquisition would require a fee of £50 million, according to The Daily Mail.
Manchester United and Liverpool are said to be in the hunt to acquire his services as well.
Finally, The Athletic reports that the Gunners are kicking the tires on Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak, who is considered a high value target of technical director Edu.
The 21-year-old Swede, who is reported to have a release clause of €70 million, has scored 33 goals over the last two seasons. We could see a shakeup in the Arsenal final third this summer, as Frenchman Alexandre Lacazette could be on his way out.
As always, watch this space for more.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.