Arsenal braced for £60m transfer battle with Man Utd and Man City as new target emerges

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta(Image: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)

Arsenal have reportedly joined the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen star Ibrahim Maza, but may have to battle some of their Premier League rivals for his signature. The Gunners spent the summer getting their squad ready for their title defence, and went into the market for several new signings.

Bruno Guimaraes, Christos Tzolis, Ezri Konsa and Illan Meslier all made the move to the Emirates Stadium, and yet, there were rumours that more reinforcements could have been made to Mikel Arteta’s squad.

The Gunners were credited with an interest in signing a new wide forward during the latter stages of the transfer window, with Vinicius Jr. and Julian Alvarez also mentioned as targets.

With the summer window now shut for several weeks, speculation is beginning to surface regarding Arsenal's potential plans for the New Year, with another midfielder now being touted as a possible arrival at the Emirates.

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According to Fussball News, Maza has emerged on the Gunners' radar ahead of the January window.

The report suggests that Leverkusen have already placed a valuation of approximately €70million (£60million) on the 20-year-old midfielder, and would resist accepting a reduced offer from suitors.

Maza remains tied to the Bundesliga outfit until the summer of 2030, which means Leverkusen face no urgency to part ways with the promising youngster in January, or indeed when the current campaign concludes.

The report also suggests that Manchester City and Manchester United have entered the race to secure Maza's signature in January, with La Liga giants Atletico Madrid similarly understood to be in contention.

Arsenal, alongside City and United, are reportedly monitoring Maza's progress at Leverkusen, with all three clubs potentially readying an official bid when the January transfer window swings open.

City overhauled their midfield options during the summer, with Ayyoub Bouaddi, Elliott Anderson and Enzo Fernandez all making the move to the Etihad Stadium.

United also brought in three new midfielders in the summer, with Youri Tielemans, Carlos Baleba and Andrey Santos all joining the Red Devils.

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