Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs have all been put on 'red alert' as Barcelona prepare for the sale of attacking star Memphis Depay who has been linked to each of the London trio at some point already this summer.
It's three days until the Gunners kick-off their campaign under the lights of Selhurst Park on the Friday Night Football vs Crystal Palace. Between the three London clubs so far, 13 new additions have been added to the respective squads with loads more still to happen, especially for the Blues.
Both Thomas Tuchel and Mikel Arteta have indicated that they want more signings to add extra depth to their squads with a challenge for the top four spots expected to get heated between the London rivals. "We’re still hoping to do something else if the market allows us to do that," Arteta said in his post-match press conference after Arsenal's Emirates Cup victory over Sevilla.
READ MORE: Memphis Depay makes Arsenal and Tottenham transfer decision amid Barcelona exit talk
"You've seen some movement in the other direction in the last few days so we want to get the perfect balance and the plan we wanted right at the beginning. Whether we can accomplish that or not is another story, but I’m happy with where we are now."
Last season, it was Chelsea and Tottenham who were the ones to qualify for the Champions League. However, this time around, as demonstrated by pre-season form, the Gunners have re-entered that conversation but what could separate the trio? Squad depth.
At this current moment, the north London pair have arguably more squad depth in comparison to the current World Champions as demonstrated with the 11 signings made between them in comparison to only the two so far by the Blues. Saying that, Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana could close this gap amid recent updates suggesting an SW6 move is on the cards for both.
One issue that Arsenal and especially Chelsea could encounter next season is the lack of backup options up front. Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah are the only two out-and-out strikers for Arteta to select from. On the contrary, with Romelu Lukaku gone and Timo Werner likely to follow suit, only Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling are suitable options to lead the line for Tuchel's side ahead of their Everton opener.
Therefore a new striker or attacker may be needed still if both Arsenal and Chelsea are to stake claims this season in trying to reduce the gap to Man City and Liverpool at the top of the table.
Step up Memphis Depay and amid issues of Barcelona trying to convince Frenkie de Jong to move on during this current contractual dispute, president Joan Laporta is in desperate need to free wage bill space and generate significant transfer funds to comply with La Liga regulations.
Consequently, alongside Oscar Mingueza who has recently completed his switch to Celta Vigo, the 28-year-old former Man United forward is also looking likely to follow suit but to where remains largely unknown.
Spanish journalist Ferran Martinez has updated with his latest tweet: "Everything indicates that Memphis will leave. All parties are now searching for a new club, as the player knows he won’t get minutes here. Juventus interested, among other clubs."
His versatility to be able to play in most positions in a frontline could appeal to Tuchel the most but if one of the London trio were to add a player who attained 15 goal contributions in all competitions in 2021/22, the depth issues upfront could be sorted out with this one transfer.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs fans - which out of the three clubs could benefit most from a Memphis Depay transfer? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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