Arsenal have a lot of work to do this summer to improve their underperforming side, with the Gunners poised to miss out on a top-four Premier League finish for the second year in a row.
Any hopes of Arsene Wenger’s side returning to the Champions League next season hinge on success in the Europa League, where Arsenal hold a 4-1 advantage over CSKA Moscow heading into Thursday’s return leg in Russia.
One area of focus this summer is likely to be in defence, where captain Per Mertesacker is set to retire, and Arsenal have been handed a huge blow in the market for one defensive target, with the news that a European giant has entered the hunt.
French station Telefoot report that Barcelona are keen on landing RB Leipzig’s highly-rated 19-year-old defender Dayot Upamecano, who has also caught the eye of Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
The highly-rated teenager has established himself as a regular for the top-four chasing Bundesliga side and could cost as much as £87m, a figure that would shatter the club-record fee Arsenal paid for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January.
