Arsenal no longer need to worry about losing two of their star players at this moment in time, thanks to Liverpool’s transfer pursuit of Luis Diaz.
The Reds have recently been linked with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli after Jurgen Klopp's surprising show of admiration for the Brazilian winger.
With Mohamed Salah’s contract running down, and Sadio Mane approaching the age of 30, Liverpool need to rebuild in the wing positions, and there were fears that Arsenal’s young stars could be potential replacements.
However, Paul Joyce from The Times has reported that Liverpool are instead closing in on a deal for FC Porto winger Luis Diaz in a £37 million move.
Martinelli has been Arsenal’s best player in recent weeks which Jurgen Klopp agreed with after Liverpool eased past the Gunners in the semi-final second leg of the Carabao Cup.
“Martinelli, by the way, everyone should remember that name. he’s an outstanding player,” the Liverpool boss said when speaking about the 20-year-old.
This was not the first time that the German manager had praised the youngster, as he also singled him out two-years previous during the 2019/20 season against Liverpool, again in the Carabao Cup, Martinelli played as a striker and he scored a brace in an end-to-end 5-5 clash.
After full-time, Klopp described the Brazilian as being an “Incredible striker.”
Saka had previously been urged to join Liverpool and was linked to the club before he signed a new Arsenal contract in 2020, committing his long-term future to the club.
Both youngsters have been crucial in Arsenal’s push for a Champions League place, and the threat of Liverpool potentially snatching one of these players would have provided a major dent to the rebuilding process that Arteta is currently trying to achieve.
Saka, Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe all have the potential to spearhead Arsenal for the biggest trophies in the future, and the squad rebuild should certainly be focused on getting the best out of these exciting youngsters.
The threat of Liverpool disrupting the progression of this magnificent three for Arsenal should now be dampened due to the signing of Diaz, which allows the fans and Arteta to breathe a sigh of relief.
Moving forward, the club's focus can now be on tying the duo, who have a combined market value of £83 million according to Transfermarkt, down to new contracts to ensure they continue playing a key role in north London.
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