Arsenal's list of potential transfer targets has continued to grow in the latter stages of the season. The Gunners will spend the majority of the summer hard at work in bolstering Mikel Arteta's squad, but there will also be exits too.
Midfield is the priority focus for sporting director Edu Gaspar, with football.london understanding that West Ham skipper Declan Rice is the priority.
The north Londoners already have a dynamic set in stone in the middle of the park, with Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka starting the majority of Arsenal's games this season. However, recent reports have hinted that the trio could be fractured in the summer.
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Reports have claimed that Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen want to bring Xhaka to the BayArena, with former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso impressed with the Swiss star's displays this season.
Xhaka has transformed his reputation in England in recent years, with him making 44 appearances in all competitions and contributing to 14 goals - his best goalscoring return of his career. However, the potential addition of two central midfielders could see him fall down Arteta's pecking order.
The agenda at London Colney is aligned with upgrading through replacing the current squad, something most supporters will want to see in Xhaka's case. Though Arteta has already admitted he faces a summer of tough decisions.
Arteta has recently admitted he and his recruitment team will be forced into "tough decisions" in the transfer market at the end of the season. "They are always tough decision, whether it's to recruit, or other decisions," he told Sky Sports. "Some players sometimes don't want to continue with us, some staff members.
"It's always tough, especially when you have good relationships with those individuals, but we are here to win. That's the purpose of everybody at the club. We have to win and to win we have to do it in our way and to do that we have to make decisions."
With Xhaka's contract entering its final year, with an option to extend by a further season, the Gunners could be inclined to allow Xhaka to seek pastures new to allow the next generation to spearhead their midfield.
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