“A very hard news to believe”- Emirates Transfer insiders are shocked after they discovered who Arsenal are about to sign next- Pep Guardiola will be shocked to see Arsenal signing the ‘star man’

With Arsenal already outlaying a huge amount on midfield players this summer, could they really be in for Aurélien Tchouaméni?

Arsenal making an offer to sign French international Aurélien Tchouaméni from Real Madrid is “hard to believe”, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

Arsenal transfer news – What’s the latest on Aurélien Tchouaméni?

It has been a brilliant start to the transfer window for Arsenal fans, as the club have already sewn up the £65m deal to sign Kai Havertz and look to be incredibly close to signing West Ham United captain Declan Rice for £105m and Ajax defender Jurrien Timber for £40m.

However, if recent reports are to be believed, the Gunners aren’t finished yet, and the next transfer could potentially be the most shocking yet.

According to Spanish outlet DefensaCentral, the Premier League runners-up have made the player a ‘priority objective’ and are looking to submit a bid in the region of €80m to €90m (£69m-£77m) for the Los Blancos star.

However, the same report also states that the Spanish giants view the player as an ‘indisputable’ part of their team and that the ex-Monaco man wants to remain and ‘succeed at Real Madrid.’

What has transfer insider Dean Jones said about Aurelien Tchouaméni to Arsenal?

Jones was upfront about his general surprise at the rumour, pointing out that the Gunners have already spent a huge amount of money this summer, making a deal for the Frenchman unlikely.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: “I mean, in terms of Tchouaméni, I find it hard to believe that Arsenal could afford a deal like that on the back of what they’ve just had to do to be able to afford Declan Rice.

He points out that while you can convince certain clubs to accept specific payment structures, Real are a different kettle of fish, adding: “The way that the cash flow is working at the moment, it’s unlikely that you can just knock on the door at Real Madrid, and propose taking one of the young stars off him that you’re playing over six years or something. For some clubs. Yeah, that works. And that’s feasible. But at Real Madrid, I’m not so sure.”

Would Aurelien Tchouaméni be a good signing for Arsenal?

In short, yes. Tchouaméni would represent an unbelievable signing for the Gunners, especially in a window that has already seen them spend big on Rice, Havertz and Timber.

The French international has taken a little bit of time to settle into life at the Bernabeu, but he still had a great season overall last year, with WhoScored giving the player an average rating of 7.04 for his 24 starts in La Liga.

His underlying numbers are outstanding as well, with FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe’s top five leagues, placing him in the top 1% for pass completion and interceptions, the top 5% for attempted passes, the top 8% for clearances and the top 11% for aerial duals won, all per 90.

With numbers like that, it’s hardly surprising that back in his Monaco days, his former boss Niko Kovac waxed lyrical about the star, saying:

“For me, he is already the best midfielder in Ligue 1 today.”

Alongside his coach, he was also lauded by the pundits, with French football expert Tom Williams telling Football Espana that he was “an absolute machine when it comes to ball recovery.”

If Edu and Co can get this deal over the line and play him in a midfield with Rice and Martin Odegaard, the Gunners might be able to go that one step further next season.