Arsenal have handed Manchester City the advantage in the race to win this season's Premier League title.
City defeated the north London outfit 4-1 on Wednesday evening and they are now within two points of the league leaders whilst also possessing two games in hand on their title rivals. If Mikel Arteta's side are unable to lift the crown this season, they will certainly be gunning to do so next year if they can recruit efficiently in the summer transfer window.
football.london understands that Arteta is keen to bolster his midfield options at the end of the current campaign, with West Ham United captain Declan Rice the Spaniard's priority signing. Now, transfer guru David Ornstein has reported that Rice is one of four targets for the Gunners this summer as Sporting Director Edu looks to strengthen Arsenal's squad ahead of a return to the Champions League next season.
READ MORE: Every word Mikel Arteta said on title race, Odegaard's verdict and Man City loss
Whilst appearing on American Television channel Peacock, Ornstein claimed that Rice, as well as Brighton's Moises Caicedo, are seen as options for holding midfield whilst Chelsea star Mason Mount, as well as Ajax playmaker Mohammed Kudus, are targets for a more advanced no.8 role. The north Londoners tried to sign Caicedo during the January window, with Brighton rejecting two bids for the Ecuadorian international, who recently signed a new contract at the Amex Stadium.
Mount has been mooted as a surprise target in recent days given his well-documented contractual situation with the Blues. Meanwhile, Kudus has established himself as one of Eredivisie's hottest prospects this season, also enjoying a productive World Cup with Ghana, scoring twice.
Asked about his future earlier this year, Kudus told De Telegraaf: "I am very happy at Ajax at the moment, but I will be even happier if we win the double. Why wouldn’t I want to renew? I play and develop well. Now it’s about negotiation and valuation.
"When the time is right, we’ll see how it goes. But that will have to be conducted with my agent. I want to focus entirely on the title race."
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