£85m Arsenal target seen at club in preparation for move next summer: report

Arsenal have been heavily rumored to be interested in a particular player - who has now been photographed at the club.

The Gunners had a relatively quiet transfer window, confirming David Raya on a permanent deal following his successful loan last season, before striking a deal for Riccardo Calafiori. Mikel Merino followed, after a long transfer saga, and then Raheem Sterling joined on loan on deadline day.

Arsenal have reportedly already drawn up plans for next summer, too. Florian Wirtz is linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium – but while that could well become a club-record signing, another potential target has been spotted at the club already

Arsenal target attends the club's win over Paris Saint-Germain

Arsenal put in a strong performance against Paris Saint-Germain, without having much of the ball. Despite surrendering possession for swathes of the game, Mikel Arteta saw his side control the space expertly and pounce upon two opportunities to slay the French champions with ease.

Mohammed Kudus of West Ham United was in attendance for the game. The Ghanaian was said to be there to support Arsenal.

The Mail reported in 2023 that Kudus was a serious target for Arteta during his Ajax days. Ultimately, West Ham signed the attacker, who has flourished during his time in the Premier League. 

It's since been claimed by Football Insider that Kudus is now “joining Arsenal” following his visit to the London rivals. FourFourTwo understands that the trip was simply for pleasure rather than business, however, with Kudus's international team-mate Thomas Partey putting in his best performance of the season so far.

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Arsenal are likely to sign a new attacker next summer either way, with Sterling's loan deal only a season-long agreement. Kudus will no doubt feature on the longlist, given the club's historic interest in him.

FourFourTwo doesn't believe that the Hammers star will make the transfer though – unfortunately for Gooners who perhaps got their hopes up when they saw him among the fans in attendance last night. It's a shame, too, given that his versatility would be huge for Arteta across his frontline and midfield.

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Arsenal's saga for Declan Rice was one that they'll want to avoid in future, though. The then-captain of the Irons moved for a package of £105 million – some £20m above estimates of how much the north Londoners wanted to pay originally – with the structure of the deal frontloading the amount that Arsenal would have to pay for his signature.

Arsenal will likely want to avoid dealing with West Ham again if they have to. After signing players from the likes of Chelsea, West Ham, Brentford and Brighton in 2023, they moved to sign players from Bologna and Real Sociedad this summer for their biggest deals, finding value elsewhere.

Could Kudus be unhappy at West Ham?

With just one win in the league all season and tensions already said to be high at the London Stadium, Kudus has already “had words” with his new manager, Julen Lopetegui.

The Athletic recently reported that at half-time against Brentford at the weekend, the pair “had a frank exchange of words”, which led to the winger being replaced by Carlos Soler. It has been denied by “those in Kudus’ inner circle“ that “he and Lopetegui had to be separated”. 

The situation is said to have been blown out of proportion. The club have reached out to Kudus's camp to reassure them, however, that there are no issues between the player and the manager.

The report also states that Kudus had an £85 million release clause which expired on July 10. It is said to become active again at the end of the 2024/25 season.

What would Kudus give to Arsenal?

Having played in a variety of positions for both West Ham and Ajax, Kudus would be a utility man at Arsenal, were he to sign. The No.14 is left-footed, intense in and out of possession and possesses a rocket shot, too – but while he would not be a guaranteed starter, he may well be a Leandro Trossard-like squad figure, who could turn his hand to any role.

It's feasible that Kudus could well be Bukayo Saka's backup, Kai Havertz's backup and an option in the left-sided central midfield role all in one. His power and capability to turn his hand to any role would be valuable for the Gunners, while his diligence in the press would be integral to a manager like Arteta.

The 24-year-old is worth €50m, according to Transfermarkt. His current deal expires in 2028.