Arsenal are drawing up a contingency plan in case they miss out on signing West Ham captain Declan Rice.
Mikel Arteta made the England international is No.1 summer transfer priority as far back as January and the Gunners have long been considered the favourites to land the 24-year-old.
The race to sign the all-action midfielder it heating up, however, with Manchester City formally entering the race on Monday night.
An offer of £80m with an extra £10m in add-ons still falls short of West Ham’s £100m asking price and although Arsenal are set to submit their third bid this week, their hopes of signing the player now hang in the balance.
It has been widely reported that Rice favours a move to the Gunners, but the chance to play under Guardiola is sure to prove a tempting prospect, especially given the departure if Ilkay Gundogan, confirmed on Monday, opens up a spot in the champions’ midfield engine room.
Arsenal will hope the groundwork they have been laying for the best part of six months does not go to waste, but they are mindful of a repeat of the January window when their move for Mykhailo Mudryk was hijacked by Chelsea.
With that in mind, The Daily mail reports that Arsenal are keeping tabs on Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana and could make a move for the France international should their pursuit of Rice end in failure.
Fofana has been capped 10 times at senior level by Les Bleus and was part of Didier Deschamps’ squad which finished last year’s World Cup as runners-up to Argentina.
Arsenal all hold a long-standing interest in Brighton’s Moises Caicdeo, but the Ecuador international is said to favour a move to Chelsea with whom personal terms have already been agreed.
Romeo Lavia of Southampton represents another Arsenal target but the Gunners will face competition from Liverpool for the services of the former City starlet.
Arteta is planning an overhaul of Arsenal’s midfield this summer with Granit Xhaka likely to complete a move to Bayer Leverkusen, while Thomas Partey could be sold amid interest from club in Italy and Saudi Arabia.
MORE : Harry Redknapp fires warning to Arsenal and Manchester City over Declan Rice transfer pursuit
MORE : Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior sends message to Jurrien Timber as Gunners close in on transfer
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