Mikel Arteta has secret weapon at Arsenal to help seal dream £43m summer transfer

Arsenal are expected to be busy in the summer transfer window and Mikel Arteta may well call upon one of his players to help get a certain deal over the line

Arsenal are in the market for a new central midfielder this summer and Mikel Arteta may call upon a secret weapon to help get one potential deal over the line.

Having won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years, the Gunners want to ensure they keep progressing following the 2025/26 season which also saw them reach the Carabao Cup final and Champions League final. Exits and incomings are expected at Emirates Stadium over the next couple of months with the club in the market for a full-back, midfielder and attacker, football.london understands.

One player the north Londoners are tracking is Manu Kone. The 25-year-old midfielder played for Toulouse and Borussia Monchengladbach before moving to Roma in 2024. He has impressed during his time in Serie A and helped Gian Piero Gasperini's side finish third in Italy's top division last season.

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According to Italian outlet Corriere della Sera, Arsenal have already held talks with Kone's representatives and agreed personal terms over a move after the World Cup. The next step is to negotiate a fee with Roma, who value him at £43million.

Any move will likely not be agreed until after the World Cup, however, with France next in action on Thursday, July 9 against Morocco in the quarter-finals. Kone has started three of France's five fixtures during the tournament and looked solid against Paraguay in the round of 16 clash as he replaced the injured Aurelien Tchouameni. Impressing with his physicality and ability to keep the ball, Kone was given a match rating of 7.9 by FotMob.

"Brought some much needed physicality to give France some bite in midfield," his player rating description reads. "Hardly put a foot wrong with the ball at his feet and was unafraid to let some decent shots rip."

Interestingly for Arsenal, if they do wish to make a move for Kone, they could call upon a secret weapon to help get a deal over the line. Centre-back William Saliba is also part of the France squad at the World Cup and could well get in Kone's ear.

Saliba signed a new long-term contract with the Gunners in September last year and will surely only have positive things to say about the Premier League champions. Regardless of what happens, Kone has insisted he is only currently focused on the World Cup and previously said he will speak about his future with his representatives after the tournament.

France boss Didier Deschamps is a huge fan of the midfielder and Kone may well go all the way with his nation, with the World Cup final scheduled for Sunday, July 19.

“I repeat, Manu Kone is underrated,” Deschamps previously said. “He’s coming off a very good season with Roma, and he’s becoming increasingly important with us with each training session.

“He’s very effective at winning the ball back, but he shouldn’t be limited to that role of defensive midfielder, because he also makes a difference in his use of the ball.”

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