Mikel Arteta has declined to confirm Arsenal's interest in Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa and Bayer Leverkusen's Jarell Quansah, though he made clear the club's intention to strengthen the squad as they contend with a growing list of defensive absentees.
Arsenal open their season against Manchester City in the Community Shield at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Sunday, but they do so without two key centre-backs. Jurrien Timber continues his recovery from a knee problem, while William Saliba faces an extended spell on the sidelines after picking up a back issue at the World Cup.
With those absences in mind, Arsenal are said to be considering significant investment in defence. Interest in Konsa has resurfaced in recent days, while Quansah, who moved from Liverpool to Leverkusen last summer, is also on the club's radar. Both England internationals are viewed as versatile options capable of playing at centre-back or right-back.
Asked directly about the two players, Arteta avoided naming names but stressed the scale of Arsenal's ambitions this summer. "You know I am not going to talk about an individual but what I can obviously tell you is the ambition of the club," he said. "It is big that we want to improve the squad, we want to evolve the squad, in order to achieve. We have detected some areas that they can be a strength in, that is what we are trying to do."
The Arsenal boss also hinted that the club's transfer business could extend beyond incomings, with Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira all reportedly attracting interest from elsewhere. "It's a very exciting part of the season as well," Arteta said. "When a lot of things happen, it creates excitement, there is an opportunity as well to evolve. There is a good way to understand what every player is feeling and we are trying to do maximum to end up in the next 13-14 days in the best possible condition to compete for every possible competition. It is always the case, there is an opportunity to go both ways [players out and in], we have to see how the market responds and what as a club, we can do."
According to reports, no formal offer has yet been made for Quansah, who is regarded as a genuine option given his ability to play across the back line. Leverkusen, however, are understood to be extremely reluctant to part with the 23-year-old, and would likely command a fee well above the £30 million they paid Liverpool for him last year. A buy-back clause reportedly held by Liverpool, thought to be worth around £60 million, is said to have now lapsed.
Arsenal's pursuit of Konsa remains complicated by a valuation gap, with Aston Villa reportedly holding out for around £60 million while Arsenal's opening bid of roughly £30 million was turned down earlier in the window. Ben White, who can also deputise in both defensive positions alongside Cristhian Mosquera, has only just returned from the knee ligament injury that ended his previous campaign prematurely in May, adding further urgency to Arsenal's search for defensive depth before the transfer window shuts on September 1.
Arsenal have also been credited with interest in Atletico Madrid's Marc Pubill, Barcelona defender Jules Kounde, and Como's Jacobo Ramon, who featured against the Gunners in a pre-season friendly at the Emirates Stadium this week.
On the injury front, Arteta offered a more encouraging update on Timber's recovery, revealing the Dutch defender is back on the training pitch as his workload is gradually increased. "Jurrien is progressing really well," Arteta said. "He is on the pitch, we are ramping up now, the volume and the load. I think he is in a good trajectory but there is still a few weeks to go." Asked whether Timber might return before the September international break, Arteta added: "I don't know, we will have to see. He needs to start to train with the group in the next week or so, hopefully. See how he progresses from there. It has been a long-term issue and right now we want to make sure every step we take is the right one. He is such an important player for us."
Based on reporting from The Independent and Standard Sport.