As far as I am aware this is what has been going on. Arsenal were interested in Fernandes / Tonali / Pablo Barrios (exclusive). When Tonali was offered to us at the end of January, it peaked everyone's interest at the club. Berta kept in contact as did City. It became clear the deal was not feasible due to Newcastle wanting £85m or even more. To further add, the agent fees are incroyable. Barrios was not available for several reasons. Fernandes is heavily involved with Jorge Mendes and it became quickly apparent that there would be a bidding war at a minimum of £85m. It has now even been stated, 'whoever pays the most can have him'.
Berta then made contact multiple times to explore the situation of Alex Scott, the interest is real and there was a feeling a potential bargain could be secured around £65m. Bournemouth began to panic while Alex Scott was out in the USA with the England pre camp and want to rush to secure a renewal for Scott with a possible release clause. Their stance currently is he is not for sale at any price.
Is it becoming apparent we have approximated budget for the midfielder? (Investing in other areas)
As for Bruno G let me clarify… Berta made contact with his camp via Kia. A loose offer below £60m was floated to Newcastle via these middle men to understand their appetite for any deal. Newcastle say he is not for sale. Kia being involved is something you must keep an eye on for reasons every Arsenal fan should be aware of. When an offer is serious, it is officially submitted to the club hence me saying Newcastle have had no contact yet from Arsenal as of 9am. Newcastle will not lose both of their midfielders, so maybe Berta tried a cheeky offer before the Tonali deal has gone through. Until a serious offer is presented or our budget changes, we wait.
Arsenal have contacted the likes of Bouaddi / Kone and others I don’t want to discuss yet but no one else is providing these step by step updates and its incredibly exhausting. Personally think Bouaddi or Bruno would be incredible.
ABSOLUTE BATMAN is going to be an animated series!
Nick and I can't thank @WB_Animation and @DCOfficial enough for making this happen.
https://t.co/IG1ntjIPTU
🚨 Arsenal now in club-to-club contact with Leicester City over deal for Jeremy Monga. No agreement yet but direct talks; all sides handling respectfully due to 16yo age. Many keen but only wanted #AFC - plan to pay fair fee & avoid tribunal @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/3pFGFpmqlL
There is so much to appreciate in this...the quality of the goals, the artistry, the beauty etc...but perhaps we overlook the longevity. The first goal was made by Crespo and Tevez, the final one he runs off celebrating with Enzo Fernandez.
When Enzo Fernandez was born Hernan Crespo was 25 years old.
Julian Alvarez Update
If you remember, I stated there was another attacker I chose to keep anonymous. That player was indeed Julian Alvarez. The reason I said it was sensitive was because one of our players (Gyökeres) was potentially involved but let me just provide the facts for Arsenal fans. To my understanding the following statements are 100% factual.
• The players dream is Barca (personal terms agreed already)
• Barca have always wanted Julian to go public with his desire to force Atleti's position
• Atleti are adamant they will not to sell to Barca and would rather sell abroad but it wont stop Barca from trying
• PSG to my understanding left the race due to Campos / Enrique not wanting a player who doesn’t absolutely prioritise them but I wont be shocked if they return due to the players quality
• Julian has been a target for Arsenal since last summer
• After our group stage game Arteta made it clear we must atleast be in the race for the Argentine
• I can 100% confirm Atleti have interest in Viktor Gyökeres
• Andrea Berta has maintained contacts with the camp since last summer and has explored 'different structures & mechanisms' to bring Julian Alvarez to North London in the recent months…
• Reports about 'the English weather' being a reason Julian and his family would not return to England are absolutely false.
• The player would be very open to joining Arsenal and has directly told us should his dream to Barca become impossible
• Arsenal are yet to officially formalise their interest but Atleti are well aware of our interest.
The situation is chaotic but my role is to provide the absolute facts to the best of my knowledge in real time not predict the future. Its difficult enough tracking Berta and his 1000 spinning plates technique, its even harder when he silently speaks to ex-colleagues at Atleti with whom he has a lot of trust with but I have presented the facts. Genuinely feel a lot of relief talking about this all as its been exhausting to track for 14 months. I need to sleep now as I have been awake all night contacting sources 😂
All the records broken by Lionel Messi today:
Most FIFA World Cup finals goals by a football (soccer) player - 18
Most FIFA World Cup matches played in by an individual - 28
Most matches won by a player at the football (soccer) FIFA World Cup - 18
Most minutes played in the football (soccer) FIFA World Cup - 2,489
We are witnessing history.
🚨EXCL : Arsenal will officially open talks with Aston Villa to sign Morgan Rogers in the coming weeks. There is a real willingness from the English Champions to get a deal done at a reasonable price. Fee will be the key. Personal terms are no issue at all.
Everything about this is beautiful. Exquisite, delicate touch of Zlatan and Henry is a joy to watch. However, what Henry does with 53 seconds left whilst wearing some sort of smart casual trainer is blowing my mind. The ease. The artistry. What an era.