Arsenal have reportedly expressed an interest in signing Atletico Madrid midfielder Pablo Barrios as Mikel Arteta prepares for a possible engine room overhaul this summer.
The Gunners stand to lose both Jorginho and Thomas Partey at the end of the season, and the former is already said to have given the green light to a move to a Brazilian giant later this year.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are yet to decide whether to offer Partey a new deal or allow the Ghana international to leave on a free transfer, even though he has been an increasingly important player for the Gunners over the past couple of seasons.
In preparation for Jorginho exit and potentially Partey's too, Arsenal are believed to be leading the chase for Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi, who could join the Gunners in a £51m deal after turning down Liverpool last year.
A deal to take Zubimendi to North London is not yet complete, though, and there are still fears that Real Madrid could try to hijack Arsenal's move for the Euro 2024 winner later this year.
Arsenal identify Barrios as Zubimendi 'Plan B'
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Should Zubimendi's proposed move to the Emirates collapse, TBR Football claims that Arsenal have earmarked Barrios as an ideal alternative, as the 21-year-old has 'hugely impressed' Gunners chiefs this season.
Barrios was previously in the Real Madrid youth system before making the switch to city rivals Atletico in 2017, and the 2003-born midfielder was officially promoted to the first-team ranks midway through the 2022-23 season.
Now a mainstay in the heart of Diego Simeone's midfield, Barrios has scored three goals and provided five assists in 88 appearances for Los Rojiblancos, starting 19 La Liga games and four Champions League matches this season.
The Spaniard also played every game for his nation en route to the gold medal at last year's Paris Olympics, and he made his senior Roja debut in a UEFA Nations League win over Switzerland in November.
Atletico are under little pressure to part ways with Barrios this summer, though, as his contract runs for another three and a half years, and Arsenal can expect to be quoted a mammoth fee to prise him away from the Wanda Metropolitano.
What other midfielders are Arsenal after?
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Arteta's side are also said to have approached Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich, who is due to leave the German giants on a free transfer at the end of the season as he hesitates over a new deal.
The versatile 30-year-old has apparently now been set a deadline to make a decision on whether he wants to extend his stay at the Allianz Arena, having seen a three-year extension offer withdrawn due to his indecisiveness.
The report adds that Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes and Atalanta BC's Ederson also have admirers in North London, and Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong has also been offered to the Gunners in the past.
A new striker and goalkeeper are also expected to be high on the summer agenda for Arsenal, who return to action on Tuesday in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash with PSV Eindhoven.
Ben Knapton
