Mikel Arteta ‘wants four new players in the summer’ with £80m Declan Rice his top target

Mikel Arteta is reportedly looking to sign four players during the summer transfer window ahead of Arsenal’s expected return to the Champions League next season.

The Gunners are in an excellent position to qualify for Europe’s most prestigious competition for the first time in seven years, as they sit top of the table, 16 points clear of fifth-placed Newcastle.

West Ham midfielder Declan Rice is Arsenal’s main target, although he could cost the club a whopping £80m.

Sportsmail previously reported that Arsenal believe they are well positioned to beat Chelsea in the race to sign the England international as the Blues seem unlikely to play in the Champions League next season.

Arsenal would probably have to break their transfer record if they were to sign Rice, who is currently held by Nicolás Pepe, who joined the club for £72m from Lille in 2019.

Mikel Arteta is reportedly looking to sign four players during the summer transfer window.

West Ham midfielder Declan Rice (right) is Arsenal’s main target, although he could cost the club £80m.

It has been reported that Arsenal may also renew their interest in Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo.

Arsenal submitted a £70m offer to sign the Ecuador international in January but were discounted by the Seagulls.

This was despite Caicedo posting a message on his Instagram account begging Brighton to let him go.

In his message, he said: “I am proud to be able to generate a record transfer fee for Brighton which would allow them to reinvest it and help the club continue to succeed.”

“The fans have taken me into their hearts and will always be in my heart, so I hope you can understand why I want to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.”

Arteta would also reportedly like to sign a left-back and winger, which could be partly financed by sales of players like Kieran Tierney.

The Gunners manager refused to rule out the sale of the Scotland international in remarks to the media ahead of Wednesday’s clash against Everton.

Rice’s desire to play in the Champions League could give Arsenal an edge over Chelsea

Arsenal could also renew their interest in signing Moises Caicedo from Brighton in the summer.

Caicedo posted this message when Arsenal were looking to sign the Ecuadorian star back in January.

When asked about Tierney’s future, Arteta said: ‘I don’t know. I’m not thinking about that.

Other players the club could reportedly let go include Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares, who are currently on loan at Crystal Palace and Marseille respectively.

There will also be a decision to be made about Folarin Balogun, who is the top scorer in Ligue 1 at Reims and is unlikely to be happy as a third striker behind Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah.

Arsenal could take a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a win over Everton at the Emirates.

Chelsea languishes in 10th place in the standings, which could give Arsenal a big lead over their rivals in the race for Rice.

Rice has gone on to talk about her desire to play in the Champions League, which Arsenal should achieve barring a complete capitulation of their season.

However, Chelsea beat the Gunners in the January window until the signing of Ukrainian Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk in an £88m deal.

The sale of players, including Kieran Tierney (L), could fuel Arteta’s summer spending spree