Arsenal news: Mikel Arteta eyes dream £30m hijack as Gabriel Martinelli injury theory emerges

Diaby transfer hijack

Bayer Leverkusen star Moussa Diaby could be on his way to the Premier League this summer, however it may not be to Arsenal.

The French attacker has been a previous target for Mikel Arteta, but he is currently the recipient of very strong interest from Aston Villa.

Managed by Unai Emery, the Midlands club have already submitted a bid that was rejected by Leverkusen, but they are expected to return with an improved offer. However, the Gunners could hold an advantage in their hopes of hijacking that move which would also solve a huge problem at Emirates Stadium.

Martinelli theory

Gabriel Martinelli was a surprising omission from Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal squad to face Nurnberg in a pre-season friendly last Thursday.

The Brazilian had suffered an ankle injury towards the end of the previous season, but as football.london understood, he had recovered and was fit to resume playing again.

While he did not feature in the 1-1 draw, he has still been named as part of the squad heading to the USA for a pre-season tour which rules out any major injury worry. Nonetheless, his absence was still intriguing to some and a possible theory has since emerged that could be the reason he missed the clash.

Rice promise

Arsenal’s latest signing Declan Rice has made it very clear that he wants to bring the Premier League and Champions League trophies to Emirates Stadium.

Prior to his move, Rice guided the Hammers to European glory and he has his sights set on securing more trophies following his switch across the capital.

Speaking to Arsenal’s club media in part of his first official interview, he said: “Lifting that (Europa Conference League trophy with West Ham) was really special and the icing on the cake. But my ambitions now are to win with Arsenal again.