Official Now: Arsenal finally completes striker’s signing as South American is awarded no. 10 shirt

Arsenal’s new ‘dream’ signing is Real Madrid forward Rodrygo during the summer transfer window, journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed.

The Gunners are in the market for a new forward this summer, and they’ve reportedly earmarked the Brazil international as one of their top targets, although a move for him seems difficult at the moment. The 24-year-old forward, who joined Real from Santos in 2019, has three years left on his contract, which runs until June 2028.

Romano claims Rodrygo has never asked to leave Real this summer and remains focused on his career at the Santiago Bernabeu, despite recent transfer speculation linking him with a move to North London.

Rodrygo Happy to Stay at Real Madrid

Despite emerging as Arsenal’s ‘dream’ target

Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel, suggested that Rodrygo’s latest social media activity offers an important indication of his current mindset in Madrid:

“On Rodrygo Goes, what I can tell you is that he posted ‘Happy’ [on his social media], and there’s one more message from Rodrygo, because Rodrygo never asked Real Madrid to leave the club these weeks or these days.

“So there is interest from Arsenal. He’s a dream target for Arsenal, but it’s not even a negotiation at this point, because the only way to make it happen as a negotiation is for Rodrygo to tell Real Madrid, okay, I want to leave the club. And Rodrygo hasn’t done that so far.

“So Rodrygo’s intention remains to do his best for Xabi Alonso, to work at his best level and to see a message with ‘Happy’ is quite an important development in this Rodrygo story.”

Arsenal are believed to be targeting a new winger this summer and have also earmarked Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams as an option, while RB Leipzig ace Benjamin Sesko remains their primary target at striker.

The Gunners have yet to announce their first piece of summer business but are soon expected to officially welcome Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi on a long-term contract.

Rodrygo, meanwhile, endured a challenging season at Real Madrid, as he saw his role somewhat reduced following Kylian Mbappe’s arrival in the Spanish capital last summer.

The £250,000-a-week forward made 51 appearances across all competitions this term, scoring 14 goals and providing 10 assists.