Joao Cancelo has reportedly become one of Mikel Arteta’s top targets, as reported by Matt Law of The Telegraph. The Gunners’ manager is looking to add competition for Ben White on the right wing this summer. They may want to acquire the 28-year-old Manchester City player, but doing so would be fraught with difficulties.

As the Premier League season progressed, there were rumours that Manchester City would no longer sell players to Arsenal. Last summer, the Gunners strengthened their roster by adding Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, making them serious championship contenders this season.

Due to the duo’s success in north London, Manchester City chose to end their business relationship with Arsenal. Now, though, the North London club has been linked to a bid for Joao Cancelo, a free-agent fullback. The 28-year-old star of Manchester City has had a rough season but may be moving on when the current campaign concludes.

What’s the matter?

After reportedly having a disagreement with Pep Guardiola, Cancelo was loaned out to Bayern Munich in January. The 28-year-old Manchester City star may be just the guy Mikel Arteta is looking for to fill a need in his system.

Cancelo thrived on both wings under Guardiola. Thus making him an ideal candidate to fill Arteta’s need for a right-back who can invert. Arsenal is looking for a right-back and is considering a number of different players. Ivan Fresneda of Real Valladolid is a primary focus, while there are many more players that might be signed.

Arsenal would gladly make a bid for Cancelo if they could. However, they are also interested in Mohamed Simakan of RB Leipzig. However, Manchester City may be a stumbling block since they have Cancelo under contract until 2027 and may thus control his career path.

The second possible problem may stem from the price they may want. Cancelo has a permanent transfer option with Bayern Munich for around €72 million, although Manchester City may ask for more from Arsenal. The 28-year-old Manchester City player is not high on Edu Gaspar and Mikel Arteta’s spending priorities.

In other news Manchester United is Set To Offer A €20 Million Package To Sign The Bayern Munich Player

Mikel Arteta is stepping up his search for a new right-back this summer for Arsenal. One player he has his eye on is Joao Cancelo from Manchester City

Therefore, Arsenal may consider alternatives to the 28-year-old star player from Manchester City, casting doubt on a deal before the summer. Reports have pointed to a massive summer for the Gunners, but that’s not where their focus lies.

Arsenal’s point total and league finish have both improved in each of Mikel Arteta’s three full seasons at the helm. In that time, they have done an excellent job of refreshing the team with younger players and replacing the ones who weren’t performing. They did this despite still being a competitive team on the field and without the financial boost from the Champions League (they haven’t participated in the tournament since the 2016–17 season).

The next degree of difficulty has arrived. They are one of Europe’s youngest elite teams. So some degree of growth is to be expected as players mature. They could need some additional depth in the middle and some more offensive punch up front, for example. They’ll also likely seek to trade or release a few key players.