Arsenal have reportedly had a bid rejected for Real Betis attacking midfielder Nabil Fekir.
Mikel Arteta has been open about how big the summer window for his project at The Emirates after a disappointing first full season in charge.
The Spaniard admitted that the squad needs changing before the start of next season and has warned bosses that they must improve, or risk falling further behind their Premier League rivals.
“They’re going to get better and they’re going to strengthen, so we need to get better,” he said at the end of the campaign.
Arteta revealed he had held productive talks with the clubs’s owners, with the Josh Kroenke telling him “he wants to take the club to a different level. That’s the ambition and that’s why he’s here”.
One item that is on the agenda for Arteta and technical director Edu is to bring in a more attack minded midfielder, despite the emergence of Emile Smith Rowe last term.
Martin Odegaard arrived on loan from Real Madrid in January and impressed in north London, with Arteta keen to bring him back next term.
“Well we have a very clear and strong opinion on what we would like to do. He’s not our player,” he explained.
“We’ll have discussions in the next few weeks, but first of all we need to respect that he’s a Real Madrid player. We’ll have those communications.
“We’ve tried to make everything that we could to get Martin performing for the team, which I think he’s done, and he has adapted really well to our way of playing and to our football club.
“Hopefully we have given him the hope and the feeling that this could be a good place for him.”
Odegaard’s future remains in doubt with Carlo Ancelotti’s appointment at the Bernabeu meaning Arsenal could be forced to look at potential alternatives.
One of which could be Betis star Nabil Fekir. The Frenchman has long been linked with a move to the Premier League, having been touted as a target for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool when he was at Lyon.
(Image: ALEJANDRO GARCIA/EPA-EFE/REX)
How many players do Arsenal need to sign during the summer window? Have your say in the comments
A switch to Anfield was believed to be extremely close on that occasion only for him to eventually join Betis in Spain.
The 27-year-old had five assists and six goals last term, as Betis earned a sixth placed finish.
Manuel Pellegrini is desperate to keep hold of Fekir, but AS report that Arsenal have launched a bid although it was deemed “far from the amounts” that Betis would need to even consider selling.
The club’s sporting director Antonio Cordon recently refused to rule out the potential of him leaving, claiming: “In no club in the world there is a non-transferable player if succulent offers arrive .
“For us, it is a cornerstone to have him and keep him, if someone wants to come for him, they will have to pay a lot of money.”
Fekir was dealt a blow last month after Didier Deschamps opted to leave him out of his France squad for Euro 2020, despite that, AS report that the player remains committed to Betis and won’t actively push to leave.
