Arsenal will "test the waters" for Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni if they fail to sign either Moises Caicedo or Romeo Lavia, according to reports.
Who will Arsenal sign next?
The north Londoners are believed to have agreed a £105 million (£100m + £5m in add-ons) to sign West Ham United star Declan Rice after weeks of negotiations.
Rice, who looks set to become the most expensive British player of all time, is nearing a move to the Emirates Stadium in a big boost for manager Mikel Arteta.
The England international is now very likely to follow Kai Havertz through the door, with the Germany international's signing already confirmed in a £65 million deal from Chelsea.
Arsenal have been linked with further additions, namely Southampton's Lavia, Turkish wonderkid Arda Guler and even Wolfsburg defender Micky van de Ven in recent days.
The Gunners could end up spending north of £200 million this transfer window, and after just falling short in last season's title race, it appears they're determined to mount another serious challenge.
It will take a lot to usurp treble-winners Man City, who became only the second ever English side to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in a single season.
According to Football Transfers, Arsenal are looking to be very ambitious, as they could now make a move for Madrid's Tchouaméni.
The France international, who is on around £212,000-per-week, has apparently been added to Arteta's list of transfer targets this summer.
It is believed Arsenal will "test the waters" for Tchouaméni, which presumably means some form of approach/enquiry, but only on one condition.
Indeed, the north Londoners will only turn to him if swoops for either Brighton's Caicedo or Lavia ultimately fail – with Galacticos president Florentino Perez set to demand at least €100 million (£86m).
Perez apparently views Tchouaméni as the centre piece for Madrid's side next term, so prising him away from the Bernabeu will be a difficult task to say the least.
What's been said about Aurelien Tchouameni?
Called a "sensational player" by members of the media, former Man United star Rio Ferdinand was left in awe of the 23-year-old during his World Cup outings in Qatar last year.
"Listen, Tchouameni is a young kid, he’s going to make mistakes but he’s a superb talent, he produces moments out of nowhere, incredible player," said Ferdinand on the BBC (via This is Futbol).
“Replacing Pogba in a France XI is not an easy task, but so far, Tchouaméni has been superb.
“Tchouameni showed why he plays for Real Madrid. He has the patience, talent, control, he has everything you need.”
