Arsenal confirm transfer negotiations are underway with 'very clear' targets

Jim van Wijk22 May 2019

Arsenal have already started their summer recruitment plans and have enough "ammunition" to convince targets to join, according to head of football Raul Sanllehi.

Unai Emery's squad are currently preparing for next week's Europa League final against Chelsea.

The outcome of the showdown in Baku will determine whether or not the Gunners can offer potential new players Champions League football once again.

As part of a wide-ranging interview with Arsenal Media alongside managing director Vinai Venkatesham, Sanllehi gave an insight into the moves ahead as the club look to build again following the summer departures of Danny Welbeck, Aaron Ramsey and veteran goalkeeper Petr Cech.

"What I can tell you is that we have identified very clearly and unanimously with our head coach and technical people, we know what we want to prioritise and we're very clear on what our priorities are," Sanllehi said.

In Pictures | Aaron Ramsey says goodbye to Arsenal

1/16

"We're already in the market and we're already talking with the people that can help us to cover those positions and I feel quite strong.

"It's going well and the image that Arsenal has in the football world is very strong.

"Vinai was mentioning we're a top world club and we are, so we need to go where we belong and that's the Champions League.

How Arsenal and Chelsea reached the Europa League final

"Many players really want us to be there also when we're talking with them, but I feel quite strong on the inputs that I'm getting so far.

"I do believe that we have a very good plan to cover those positions to be much stronger next year, to deliver the success that we're all hoping for."

Arsenal finished fifth in the Premier League, just a point behind rivals Tottenham, after Emery's first campaign at the helm.

Getting back into Europe's elite club competition remains the prime directive, but Sanllehi is confident Arsenal "have a lot to offer to a player".

In Pictures | Arsenal training ahead of Europa League final | 22/05/19

1/22

He continued: "I don't feel in disadvantage with anybody. The Premier League, is exciting for any player in the world. London, Arsenal, the history, the dimension of the club, the stadium, the facilities at Colney, the fan base, the followers around the world and the exposure.

"Really, I feel like I have a lot of ammunition when I talk with players to engage them in our project."

Chelsea v Arsenal Europa League final: Tale of the tape

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Sign up you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy notice .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in