Monday morning deal- Arsenal have turned away from Romeo Lavia as they feel he’s too expensive- Mikel Arteta have found an upgrade and Arsenal are ready to sign “a special” £33M player instead

The Gunners could be set to secure a fine alternative to one of their expensive targets.

Arsenal have been prolific in this summer window, yet only have the official announcement of Kai Havertz to show for it.

That being said, it seems that deals for Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber are all but done, having warded off interest from rivals to bolster their side tenfold.

However, despite that being the best part of £200m set to be expended, it seems Mikel Arteta remains unsatisfied.

His youthful revolution does not stop at incomings, with rumours now circulating regarding the unsure future of Thomas Partey. Should he decide to leave, it is easy to assume that Southampton’s Romeo Lavia will be the natural successor, as that report states.

At £50m he represents solid value for a 19-year-old, but with Liverpool and Chelsea having overtaken the Gunners in the race, perhaps an alternative is in order.

Fortunately for them, they have already seemingly identified a target who surpasses the teenage sensation in almost every facet of their games.

As reported before the window opened, Leeds United’s Tyler Adams was on Edu’s transfer wish list and is valued at just €38.9m (£33m) by Football Transfers.

Given this turn of events, there is no better time to reignite this interest.

How good is Tyler Adams?

Having only joined Leeds last summer, the USA international quickly established himself as one of the Premier League’s finest ball-winning midfielders. Now that the season has concluded, he sits fourth for tackles made throughout the whole campaign.

His unrelenting attitude and tireless work rate made him perfect for the physicality of English football, and it did not take long for him to be regarded as the Whites’ best player too.

In fact, his average Sofascore rating of 6.98 from last term was comfortably the best out of anyone who started more than five games for the Elland Road outfit.

What buoyed that figure was his exceptional defensive work, although he paired it with a touch of class that Lavia perhaps lacks at this stage in his career.

For example, the 24-year-old maintained one key pass, 1.5 interceptions and 3.7 tackles per game in the league, via Sofascore. It is no surprise therefore to see former USA defender Alexi Lalas had labelled him a “monster” in the past.

Meanwhile, Lavia set his level at just 0.6 key passes, 1.1 interceptions and 2.1 tackles per game, with his rating sitting at just 6.80, via Sofascore.

If Arteta is merely seeking a defensive destroyer to partner Rice, he needs to look no further than Adams.

However, what further elevates the former RB Leipzig ace away from the Manchester City academy graduate is his experience, considering he boasts 14 Champions League appearances for the German outfit.

Given the Gunners will make their triumphant return to the competition in the coming season, this kind of pedigree will be key. He even starred for his national team at the recent World Cup, with journalist Clint Smith branding him as “special” after their draw with England.

Lavia would instead be playing just his second-ever full year of senior football should he be preferred, marking yet another gulf in quality.

Given how shrewd and intelligent their business has been thus far in this window, surely the north London outfit must make another smart move by allowing their rivals to overpay for someone who they had already secured a better alternative.