Arsenal's prolonged pursuit of Declan Rice has come under fire from a man once revered by fans in North London.
The club have had two bids rejected by West Ham, who are insistent on a fee in the region of £100million for their captain. And despite reports that the England midfielder still favours a switch to the Emirates, a move appears anything but inevitable with Manchester City now entering the race.
The Premier League champions have reacted to the departure of club captain Ilkay Gundogan by preparing an offer for the 24-year-old. And with their superior financial power, any sum north of three figures is unlikely to deter them from trying to scupper Mikel Arteta's transfer plans at the 11th hour.
Gilberto Silva, who made 244 appearances in six season at Arsenal and was an integral part of the 'Invincibles' team that prevailed in 2003/04, is concerned about his former club getting into a bidding war with City. The Brazilian World Cup winner also argues it's not just the midfield area that Arteta needs to address.
"Normally you see this sort of price for strikers, not central midfielders," Gilberto told Online Casinos. "It feels quite high, even though there is no doubting the quality of the player, but it does feel like a very high price."
Arsenal's title charge arguably derailed last season due to an injury to William Saliba, who was ruled out from March after picking up a back injury in a Europa League tie against Sporting. And Silva, 46, pinpointed the need for more defensive reinforcements.
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"I’m thinking maybe another centre-back to keep them fresh for next season after they lost William Saliba," he added. "We have also seen Oleksandr Zinchenko rotate between left-back and central midfield, while Tierney has also struggled with injury problems.
‘Having Zinchenko play again as a central midfielder I think would be really good for Arsenal – so maybe left-back would be a position they could think about strengthening. But it all depends on Mikel and what he wants."
Indeed, Arsenal are also pursuing Ajax defender Jurrien Timber, having had an initial £30m bid for the Dutch international rejected. The club are now reportedly lining up a second £50m offer for the 22-year-old, as Arteta targets a squad overhaul which could yet see his summer spending exceed £200m.
