Arsenal have made an approach to sign Chelsea striker Joao Pedro and indicated they are willing to pay £86m for the Brazilian.
Mikel Arteta has already bolstered his title-winning squad with three signings, bringing in Christos Tzolis and Illan Meslier and activating a clause to keep Piero Hincapie on a permanent deal.
The Gunners are also closing in on an £80m deal for Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes while they pursue a sensational swoop for Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior.
Arteta is also keen to welcome a new striker to the Emirates Stadium following Viktor Gyokeres’ mixed first season at Arsenal.
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Julian Alvarez was Arteta’s top target at the start of the summer but a deal for the Argentina striker looks unlikely with Atletico Madrid demanding well over £100m.
Arsenal were linked with Pedro before his £60m move to Chelsea and have revived their interest this summer, according to Brazilian outlet Globo.
The Premier League champions even indicated they were willing to pay 100m euros (£86m) for Pedro but were immediately knocked back by Chelsea.
Pedro is viewed as one of the ‘untouchable’ members of the squad by Stamford Bridge chiefs, with that stance first emerging after Barcelona make contact to discuss a deal.
Chelsea have in fact responded to Arsenal and Barcelona’s interest by preparing to offer Pedro a new, long-term contract.
Pedro was already contracted to Chelsea until 2032 but his new deal, running for another year, will include a considerable pay rise.
The 24-year-old was one of Chelsea’s most impressive players last season, scoring 20 goals in all competitions and keeping Liam Delap out of the team.
Chelsea only finished 10th in the Premier League last season but will expect for much more success following the appointment of former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso.
While Chelsea largely disappointed last season, Pedro described the campaign as ‘the best of his life’.
‘I’m very happy,’ Pedro told Chelsea’s official website back in April. ‘I think it’s (been) one of the best seasons of my life.
‘I think the expectations from me were high, so I try to keep my mentality always forward to help my team-mates.’
Pedro has eight caps for Brazil but was somewhat surprisingly left out of Carlo Ancelotti’s squad for this summer’s World Cup.
Chelsea’s number nine looks in impressive form in pre-season, scoring a nine-minute hat-trick in the friendly against Western Sydney Warriors last week.
Alonso’s side lost 2-1 to London rivals Tottenham in another pre-season friendly on Saturday and continue their preparations for the new campaign with run-outs against Juventus, AC Milan and Johor Darul Ta’zim.
Chelsea face west London rivals Fulham in their Premier League opener on August 24 before their first home game of the season against Brighton.
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