Arsenal are at risk of losing out on one of their transfer targets with Raphinha now expected to join Chelsea in a deal worth around £55m.
The Leeds United winger has been linked with a move to the Gunners and Barcelona, but Thomas Tuchel has managed to convince the player to sign for the Blues instead. According to The Athletic, Chelsea are close to reaching an agreement with Leeds over a deal for Raphinha and have moved ahead of Arsenal in the race.
This is a major blow for Mikel Arteta, who was hoping to all but wrap up his summer business with the signings of Raphinha, Gabriel Jesus and Lisandro Martinez. Although the Gunners are set to miss out on the former, they are in pole position to complete the other two deals with Jesus 'close' to joining from Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta could look elsewhere for another winger or forward with Raphinha ready to sign for Chelsea. So, with that in mind, here is a look at three possible options the Gunners could look at.
Noa Lang
A long-term target, Lang has been tipped for a move to the Premier League since impressing for Club Brugge in the Champions League, where he won man of the match against Paris Saint-Germain in 2020/21. Leeds United were heavily linked with the player last summer but they opted to sign Daniel James on deadline day instead.
The Gunners were also, at one point, interested in the 23-year-old, who has scored 26 goals in 85 appearances for Brugge since his move from Ajax in 2021. Lang still has three years' left on his current contract with the Belgian side but they could be tempted to sell if a big enough offer came in.
Who should Arsenal sign as an alternative to Raphinha? Let us know in the comments below!
Richarlison
The Everton striker finished the season in tremendous form scoring six times in his last nine games with goals that proved crucial to the Toffees staying in the division. However, the Brazilian international has made clear that he would like to test himself at a higher level in order to solidify his position in the national squad and looks set to move on from Goodison Park.
Arsenal have been linked with a move for the player, who Everton are unwilling to sell unless their £60million demand is met. This may be off-putting to the North London club, whilst he is more of a central striker than Raphinha, but they could look to test Everton's resolve with a lower offer as the club are suffering under the strain of financial fair play regulations.
Ousmane Dembele
With Chelsea now expected to sign Raphinha, it is unlikely they will also bring in Dembele who has been backed to join the Blues.
The Frenchman is yet to accept a new contract at Barcelona and therefore could be set to leave on a free transfer. This may be enough to tempt the Gunners who could sign a mercurial talent as a Raphinha alternative.
However, any deal for the wide-man would be difficult to pull off. Dembele is understandably attracting interest from across Europe given his contract situation and has been linked with the likes PSG and Juventus. It would be a challenging deal to complete but Arsenal would be securing a player with world-class abilities should they pull it off.
