Arsenal has reached the pinnacle level of sport after establishing themselves in both the UEFA Champions League and as Premier League title contenders. They have substantially reduced the distance with their primary rivals, which rival players are now aware of, as Manchester City’s Kyle Walker said.

“The manager [Pep Guardiola] said after the interview on Sky the other day when he said we’ve got the message and we hear it loud and clear,” Walker stated. “I believe he said that because he knows Arsenal is close on our heels right now, so either we need to step up our game a little bit more or Arsenal needs to back off a little bit.

“The margin is closing with each passing year. We probably need to widen that distance to give ourselves a little breathing room.”

 
Not only has the distance closed on the pitch, but also off it, and Arsenal is aware that they will compete with Manchester City for targets this summer. There are already two names associated with both teams, and Arsenal may have to face City sooner than expected once the season ended.

Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United has a release clause of £100million and therefore if either or both clubs met the price, the Brazilian would face a choice. City guarantee the trophies but Arsenal perhaps have the longevity with Arteta expected to stay long into the future with Pep Guardiola’s situation far less certain.

The other player is Wolves’ Pedro Neto, who is rated at £60 million. The Portuguese winger has had his injury issues but both City and Arsenal see the 24-year-old as a fantastic option to bring competition to Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka respectively.

 
Arsenal’s sporting director, Edu Gaspar, thinks he has an advantage over City due to the previous summer’s success. With Arsenal and Man City both bidding for West Ham’s Declan Rice, it was the Gunners who blew their title rivals out of the water with a £105million bid.

 
City were hesitant to match the Gunners’ offer, and Rice’s signing was regarded as one of the best pieces of business in the sport that year, with the results backing up those assertions. However, the difference between Guimaraes and Neto appears to be that if City were to match Arsenal, it would come down to the player.

It will be intriguing to see should the sides go head-to-head in the market, who comes out on top. The context of both sides’ short- and long-term goals makes for interesting reading and gives players plenty to consider before choosing to move.