HERE WE GO: Arsenal signed 20-year-old prolific winger from top European club for a club-record fee of £100million
Arsenal have earmarked the potential signing of a highly-rated forward as an absolute “dream” scenario for Mikel Arteta, with the Gunners extremely keen to secure his signature after hearing bad news about a key target.
Andrea Berta’s promising start as Arsenal sporting director
Andrea Berta has made a promising start to life at N5 already, with the Italian sporting director sealing Martin Zubimendi’s signing from Real Sociedad for around £55 million in total (Fabrizio Romano).
The 53-year-old has also finalised Kepa Arrizabalaga’s £5 million arrival from Chelsea, with the Spaniard swapping Stamford Bridge for north London in what is a very astute move by Berta to secure a capable David Raya alternative.
This has now been confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, too, with all documents “sealed” for Kepa who becomes Arsenal’s second unofficial signing after Zubimendi.
Arteta’s engine room and goalkeeping options have been bolstered with proven quality, but according to Romano again, £205,000-per-week Real Madrid forward Rodrygo is another man high on Berta’s agenda.
The Brazil international commands a price tag of around £77 million, as well as high wages, so he could be a pricey deal to pull off, but Romano is adamant that Arsenal have placed him at the top of their shortlist of wide targets.
Arsenal “dream” of signing Rodrygo for Mikel Arteta
Speaking on his personal YouTube channel, the respected journalist says that Arsenal “dream” of signing Rodrygo, especially that Nico Williams appears far more likely to join Barcelona.
Williams was a key target for Arsenal, and Berta even held talks with the Spaniard’s representatives in one of his “first acts” as sporting director, as per The Guardian’s Ed Aarons, but his move to London is now deemed “impossible”.
“Arsenal love Rodrygo. When I say Arsenal, it’s about the management, it’s about the coach, it’s about Mikel Arteta,” said Romano.
“They consider Rodrygo as a fantastic player, a dream target as a winger, also because they feel Nico Williams is impossible to reach this summer. Rodrygo, he remains a strong name, for sure, on the list at Arsenal.”
The 24-year-old has racked up 14 goals and 11 assists for Real in all competitions throughout 2024/2025, including the Club World Cup, with Rodrygo’s elite-level experience coming as a major positive, despite barely hitting his prime yet.
The challenges behind any move for Rodrygo are both the finances involved and convincing him to leave world football’s most appealing destination so he can start completely fresh in the Premier League, but Arsenal’s serious interest is crystal clear.
