Arsenal could accept an £80m bid for England star

Arsenal and Mikel Arteta first started dating around 15 years ago. Years after being a mainstay and taking over the reins from Unai Emery in the dugout, the Spaniard has finally been promoted to the Premier League.

Arteta has turned the club into a superpower and, in Liverpool’s words after their first Premier League win, they are ‘back on the perch’.

But Liverpool and Manchester City have long been the standout outfits on England’s shores. Instead, the Gunners finally shed the ‘almost male’ label and ended a 22-year drought.

It’s been quite a story, but it’s not over yet. Arteta has created something special and is constantly looking to improve, with his sights set on a new attacking midfielder.

Premier League club keen to sell to Arsenal

Arsenal have a great team that won the title, but there is still room for improvement in attack.

Victor Gokeres is a prolific frontman, but there is still a lot of room for improvement in his overall game. Similarly, Eberechi Eze has contributed a lot, but he is not a top-class player.

Arsenal are now in a position to target some of the best talent in the business and have set their sights on an attacking midfielder who can solve many of their problems.

Arsenal join Chelsea, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain in the race to sign Morgan Rodgers, with Aston Villa considering a sale for £80m, according to transfer correspondent Ben Jacobs.

Rodgers, 23, has established himself as one of the Premier League’s sharpest attacking midfielders, and although this is a significant fee, he has proven himself on the biggest stage and could very well become a mainstay under Arteta.

Sources close to the player understand that suitors will not be deterred by Emery and his team, leaving the door ajar for Arsenal to make a sensational signing at the start of the summer transfer window.

Why Rodgers is an upgrade over Eze at Arsenal

If Arsenal can take their attacking quality up a notch or two this summer, there’s a good chance they’ll be unstoppable next season. And by signing Rodgers, that ambition could become a reality.

Hailed as a “humble superstar” by pundit Jamie Redknapp, Rodgers has been instrumental in Aston Villa’s rise in recent years, scoring 28 goals and providing 28 assists in all competitions since the start of last season.

Eze has been in great form for the Gunners, gradually building his strength after a slow start, but he is not as naturally prolific as his compatriot and will be keen for the chance to start for Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions at this summer’s World Cup.

Rodgers is really hard to contain. A strong goalscoring threat and natural eye for creative passing, backed by steely physicality, which allowed him to develop into one of Europe’s best and most popular attacking midfielders.

It’s a myth spread by jealous rivals that Arsenal lack attacking quality. They are the second highest scorers in the English top flight this season and are also second on the xG (Expected Goals) chart.

But they’ve hit higher beats in the past, no doubt about that. This is a great example of Arteta’s project and how it has adapted and evolved over time.

Now that the once insurmountable challenge has been lifted, Arteta can loosen some of the chains and lead Arsenal further into the fold, leading them back to the type of football that Barcelona have shortlisted the Basque-born manager for in 2022, and are big fans of his stylish style of play.

By signing Rodgers, Arsenal take a big step towards that competitive playing field. We’ve seen it before and now we’re also looking at the Premier League title.

It’s no exaggeration to say that everything is coming together for Emirates.