ARSENAL can secure a route into the Europa League if they beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final this weekend.
Meanwhile the Gunners have expressed an interest in Jack Grealish while Mikel Arteta has reportedly demanded the board do whatever it takes to sign Philippe Coutinho.
Get all the latest news and transfer gossip from North London here…
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WIL I NEVER
Man Utd are reportedly set for a £17.5million windfall this summer as Crystal Palace demand £70m for Arsenal target Wilfried Zaha.
The Mirror claims United will cash in if Zaha leaves Selhurst Park this summer thanks to a clause inserted in the deal taking him back to Palace in 2015.
Zaha has made it clear he wants to leave the Eagles for a new challenge this summer and Roy Hodgson believes there is nothing he can do to change the Ivorian’s mind.
However, Palace will refuse to let Zaha leave on the cheap and they are apparently seeking a whopping £70m for his signature.
Should that price be met, United are due 25 per cent of the fee.
That amounts to around £17.5m, which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can put towards his next signing.
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THE GIR AND NOW
Saturday's FA Cup final may be Olivier Giroud's last outing in a Chelsea shirt with the striker open to “another challenge” this summer.
After spending the first half of the season out of the first-team picture, the Frenchman seemed destined to leave in January.
However, the Blues' failure to sign a replacement led to a spell in the side and a new contract, until 2021.
Giroud nevertheless knows that Chelsea may try and move him on after the season ends amid Frank Lampard's attempts to revamp the squad.
The 33-year-old told L'Equipe: “I still have one year to run on my Chelsea contract.
“If [I stay at] Chelsea, I’ll be happy. If this is not the case, another challenge will be presented to me.
“I can still play in a top league for another two years. I don’t set any limits for myself.
“I remember a discussion I had with Arsene Wenger. He told me that he saw me playing well until the age of 35 because, as I get older, my game would not be penalised since it is not based on speed.”
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PHILLIPE FLOP
Arsenal are reportedly in talks with Barcelona over a loan deal for Philippe Coutinho.
Catalan radio station RAC 1 say the two clubs are discussing a possible loan deal which would see them share the financial burden of the player's wages.
Brazil international Coutinho spent this season with Bayern Munich, but the Bundesliga giants passed up their opportunity to sign him.
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GOOD MORNING ARSENAL FANS
Emiliano Martinez has been preparing for tomorrow’s FA Cup final for most of his life.
And now that his chance has finally arrived he can’t help but remember the sacrifices his family made to help him achieve his dream.
It was ten years ago that a reluctant Martinez left his home in Argentina to sign for Arsenal and in spite of making just 36 appearances for the club since then he is now their longest-serving player.
Granit Xhaka has admitted he was “very, very close to leaving the club” following horrific abuse from his own fans.
Xhaka was booed by sections of the Emirates support as he was substituted against Crystal Palace earlier this season.
He then told fans to “f*** off” as he made his way to the touchline.
Xhaka was promptly stripped of the captaincy by then-boss Unai Emery and dropped from the squad for five games.
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ON YER BIKE
Former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud thought he was going to be on his bike from Chelsea in the transfer window.
But after discovering the joy of cycling back home in France during the lockdown, Giroud is pulling on the blue jersey for matches under Frank Lampard knowing he is now starting again.
Giroud said: “There were talks with the manager. There had been quite a few before the winter transfer window.
“Every morning before training I went into his office to see what thesituation was, to tell him again that I wanted to leave because I wasn’t happy with the situation.
“He told mehe understood buthe needed a back-up. It was quite weird because at that point I was No 3 in the order.
“We had some good talks, got to know each other more and he told me that if I stayed he would give me my chance.
“I had to trust him. I’m religious, it’s destiny. You always have to believe.”
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GUNNED DOWN
Shkodran Mustafi will miss the FA Cup final against Chelsea after he took to Twitter to announce he has undergone surgery on his right hamstring.
He said: “Missing out the @EmiratesFACup Final for the second time.
“The good news is that the surgery went well and that I am not the type of guy who gives up easily.
“After the disappointment I accepted the situation and I am now focused to recover to be back on the pitch.”
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CLOUD NINE
Nine Premier League clubs including Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool tried to stop Manchester City overturning their European ban.
City were slapped with a ban from all Uefa European competitions for two seasons after “serious breaches” of Financial Fair Play in February.
Pep Guardiola's side were also hit with a £27million fine.
But the Court of Arbitration for Sport controversially overturned the ban earlier this month.
CAS also reduced the fine to £9m after City's appeal and today released a 92-page document with full details from the case.
Within the pages CAS revealed the reasons behind their decision which split opinion.
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DI US A FAVOUR
Arsenal are considering a move for AS Roma midfielder Amadou Diawara as an alternative to Atletico Madrid star Thomas Partey, according to reports.
The Gunners are desperate to bolster their engine room this summer, with Mikel Arteta aiming to significantly improve next time out after this season's eighth place finish.
Arsenal have long identified Partey, 27, as the perfect addition – but are unwilling to match the player's £45million release clause.
The Guardian claim that they have offered £23m plus out-of-favour hothead Matteo Guendouzi for the Ghanaian, but to no avail.
This has reportedly lead to club chiefs looking elsewhere to improve their midfield.
And, according to ASRomaLive, the Gunners have turned their attention towards £27m-rated midfielder Diawara.
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XHAK IT IN
Granit Xhaka admitted he was “very, very close to leaving the club” following horrific abuse from his own fans.
Xhaka was booed by sections of the Emirates support as he was substituted against Crystal Palace earlier this season.
He then told fans to “f*** off” as he made his way to the touchline.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal's FA Cup final this weekend, the 27-year-old told BT Sport: “I have to be honest, I’m very honest with everyone. I was very, very close to leaving the club.
“Until that moment [the Crystal Palace incident] I had a great, great time in this football club.
“But after this, I was a bit down because I did not expect that from the people, from the fans.”
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MURPHY'S LAW
Danny Murphy reckons Kieran Tierney will never be as good as Liverpool's Andy Robertson.
When asked by the Glasgow Times if the Gunners left-back could emulate his Scotland team-mate, the BBC pundit said: “No. Robertson just has an unbelievable, consistent performance level and mentality.
“The fitness he has got and the quality in the final third, I say no because the level is so high. He has set the bar as a left-back remarkably high.
“He is in the top three in the Premier League for assists and what both fullbacks are doing at Liverpool is phenomenal.
“But Arsenal have got a really good signing there in Tierney and he is only going to improve.”
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GET GREAL
Arsenal have reportedly joined the race for Jack Grealish after Manchester United cooled their interest.
Sky Sports claim that the Gunners registered an interest in the Aston Villa captain, but did not follow up that enquiry.
The report adds that a number of clubs are willing to pay between £50million and £60m but that is short of the Villain’s asking price.
Dean Smith’s side have made it clear that star man Grealish is not for sale and they would not be tempted to sell for anything under £80m.
SunSport previously revealed that the England ace faces being priced out of a major summer move following Villa’s exorbitant asking price.
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WILLI PLAY?
Chelsea's FA Cup Final plans have been thrown into turmoil over the future of Brazilian star Willian.
Frank Lampard'sfaces a massive selection headache following a bombshell announcement by his agent amid interest in the winger from Saturday’s opponents Arsenal.
Willian, 31, is out of contract at the end of this season and his advisor revealed the player has a concrete offer on the table from one of Chelsea’s Premier League rivals.
Arsenal are red-hot favourites to snap up long-serving Willian who has been demanding a three year deal to stay on.
Willian’s wife dropped a big hint on Instagram back in March by writing: ‘it’s not been easy but good things are on the way’ at the same time picturing the couple’s two daughters wearing red – Arsenal’s colours.
But Willian’s representative insists no decision will be made until AFTER the game – leaving head coach Lampard the dilemma of whether to pick a key player to face a team he may be joining in just a couple of weeks’ time.
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PUT A SOK IN IT
Mikel Arteta has reportedly told Sokratis Papastathopoulos that he no longer has a future at Arsenal.
Football.london say Arteta has bluntly told the 32-year-old that he will not be required next season.
The report adds that Arteta believes Sokratis does not fit his tactical plan and he will not play significant games under him.
Yet his stance has not prompted the Greek defender to consider leaving Arsenal and he hopes he can change his head coach's mind.
Sokratis still has a year left on his contract and his attitude in training means that he won't be frozen out of the squad like Matteo Guendouzi.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has reportedly told Sokratis Papastathopoulos that he no longer has a future at the club.
football.london claims that the Spaniard has bluntly told the 32-year-old that he will not be required next season.
The report adds that Arteta believes Sokratis does not fit his tactical plan and he will not play significant games under him.
Yet his stance has not prompted the Greek defender to consider leaving Arsenal and he hopes he can change his head coach's mind.
Sokratis still has a year left on his contract and his attitude in training means that he won't be frozen out of the squad like Matteo Guendouzi.
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WHERE THERE’S A WILL
Arsenal target Willian needs to talk with Frank Lampard before making a decision on his Chelsea future, according to Brazil legend Rivaldo.
He told Betfair: “Willian is at the end of his contract with Chelsea and Arsenal seem to be interested in signing him.
“But he's having an excellent season and Chelsea are interesting in keeping him.
“Frank Lampard and the board need to inform the player about their plans for him next season.
“Chelsea are signing players and, if Willian will not be a first choice pick, then he probably would prefer to leave.
“Willian will have many interested clubs, but I think he would prefer to learn about Chelsea's plans first before taking a decision about his future.”
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TIER-ING ME APART
Kieran Tierney admitted his first season with Arsenal was the “toughest year of my life”.
The left-back, 23, signed from Celtic for £25million last summer but his first campaign south of the border was disrupted by injuries.
Tierney told the Arsenal website: “It's been the toughest year of my life.
“I've had the injury and a lot of new challenges but you need challenges, you need to be uncomfortable. You need to challenge yourself to improve.
“I worked hard every day and I knew it wasn't going to be easy coming to this massive club full of great players.
“I knew it was going to be tough coming in and trying to get my place in the team. I'm just grateful for every opportunity I get to go on the pitch and give my all.”
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PHIL IT COMING
Arsenal are leading the race to sign Barcelona flop Philippe Coutinho, according to reports.
Mundo Deportivo report the Gunners are in pole position to swoop for ex-Liverpool playmaker Coutinho after talks with his agent Kia Joorabchian.
Joorabchian is believed to have a good relationship with Arsenal‘s head of football and transfer guru Raul Sanllehi.
The pair are said to have begun negotiations over a potential move to bring the Brazilian playmaker to the Emirates.
But – in a blow to Mikel Arteta‘s side – Barcelona will reportedly outright reject the offer of a money plus player deal involving outcast Matteo Guendouzi.
The Catalan giants have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and are only interested in a pure cash deal.
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GUNNER REGRET IT
Arsenal's new signings always arrive with expectations as high as the Emirates.
But more times than not, they fall flat.
Mikel Arteta has a huge job on his hands to bring back the glory days at Arsenal.
He desperately needs to patch up his defence after the club finished eighth in the table.
Fans will be hoping he has more luck in the transfer market than previous bosses in North London.
SunSport have pulled together list of Arsenal's WORST ever players.
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FOOTING THE BILL
ARSENAL are in the bottom three of the Premier League’s points-per-wage bill for the 2019/20 season.
According to The Athletic, the Red Devils boast the highest wage bill in the top-flight, but it hasn’t been money well spent in stats obtained by the news outlet.
But it's not pretty reading for the Gunners who have a wage bill of £232m and spent £4.1m per point.
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LEW BEAUTY
Arsenal are set to sign Norwegian winger George Lewis after the FA Cup Final against Chelsea.
The 20-year-old star shone during a two-week trial back in March and has been in talks with the North London side since.
The Rwandan-born attacker has spent the past few years playing in the lower leagues of Norwegian football.
Lewis is currently a free agent and has also spent time training with League One Ipswich and Bournemouth.
Now he looks set to seal a dream move to the Premier League within the coming days, according to Goal.
His trial with the Gunners was initially only for seven days but it was doubled after he dazzled with his talents.
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SAFE HANDS
Emiliano Martinez is ready to go in the FA Cup final after a brilliant display against Watford.
The Argentine produced an inspired save from Danny Welbeck to secure the three points for the Gunners and ultimately relegate the Hornets.
And he was all smiles today ahead of the match against Chelsea, which he is almost certain to start in.
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STAYING SUT
Mesut Ozil's agent has thrown cold water over speculation of a move away from Arsenal this summer.
But he is “90 per cent” sure that the German playmaker will leave the Emirates when his £350k-a-week deal runs out in 2021.
The midfield maestro has fallen out of favour in North London, not making a single appearance since the Premier League restart in June.
Ozil’s agent Erkut Sogut, is quoted by Fanatik, telling futblogiant: “I do not think there will be a change in the case of Mesut Ozil until the summer of 2021.
“He has a contract. There is no change. He will remain in Arsenal.
“90 per cent [he] will leave Arsenal in 2021. Mesut to Asia, America or Turkey? Yes, maybe.”
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COUT-ING IT FINE
Mikel Arteta is asking the club to land Philippe Coutinho this summer, according to reports.
The Brazilian is being heavily linked with a move back to the Premier League with Barcelona keen to cash in.
And Mundo Deportivo write how Arteta has told club chiefs how he wants the playmaker to spearhead his side back into the Champions League.
Cash remains is the biggest obstacle with Barca looking for an offer in the region of £73m.
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ZAH-AARGH!
Wilfried Zaha fears being priced out of the market by Crystal Palace for a second year running.
The 27-year-old winger has told the club he wants to leave this summer after a disappointing campaign.
And Eagles manager Roy Hodgson is ready to listen to offers for the exciting Ivory Coast international.
But Palace are expected to demand as much as £70MILLION for their star player and Zaha’s representatives worry that will scupper hopes of a move with Arsenal linked.
Zaha was fuming when he was hit with an astonishing £100m price tag by Palace owner Steve Parish last summer.
And though his value has plummeted as a result of his indifferent form and the financial consequences of coronavirus, Palace are still in no mood to let him go on the cheap.
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UP FOR THE CUP
Arsenal and Chelsea have been given permission to take an extra ten players each to Saturday’s FA Cup final.
But there will be no family or friends at the game and no trip up the famous Wembley steps to collect the trophy.
Social distancing protocol has limited teams to 11 players plus nine substitutes since football emerged from its coronavirus lockdown last month.
But both finalists asked the Football Association for dispensation to allow extra non-playing staff to watch this week’s Final from the stands.
And Wembley have agreed to the request to allow injured stars such as Bernd Leno, Shkodran Mustafi, Pablo Mari, Gabriel Martinelli and Calum Chambers to attend.
It also means that out of favours players including Mesut Ozil, Michy Batshuayi and even Matteo Guendouzi could be in attendance.
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