Arsenal could beat Man Utd to Sandro Tonali with genius swap deal

Arsenal could launch a shock move to land Manchester United transfer target Sandro Tonali - by sanctioning a genius swap deal for a player wanted by Newcastle.

The Gunners are looking to strengthen this summer after winning the Premier League for the first time since 2004.

They also finished runners-up in the Champions League, losing on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain.

Manager Mikel Arteta is believed to want to bring in an attacking player and Arsenal have been linked with moves for Bournemouth's Eli Junior Kroupi, Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers and Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez.

READ MORE: Arsenal handed huge transfer boost as Barcelona 'offered' proven goalscorer

In midfield, meanwhile, the Gunners are fairly well-stocked, especially with the impending return of Mikel Merino from injury and Myles Lewis-Skelly's recent conversion back from a left-back to a defensive midfielder.

But with uncertainty over the futures of Merino and former Brentford man Christian Norgaard, midfield may be an area that Arteta decides to add an extra player to.

They were very briefly linked with a big-money move for Newcastle star Sandro Tonali on deadline day at the end of the January window, with Sky Sports Germany's Florian Plettenberg claiming that the Gunners had made initial contacts over signing the Italian.

That speculation was swiftly denied by Newcastle, however - though Tonali has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United instead this summer.

According to CaughtOffside, Tonali is now United's 'top priority' after they reached an agreement to sign Atalanta midfielder Ederson earlier in June.

But Arsenal could throw a spanner into the works.

Arsenal and Newcastle swap deal possibility emerges

Turkish outlet Sporx claim that Super Lig giants Besiktas are interested in bringing Arsenal winger Leandro Trossard to the club after another successful season in north London.

The 31-year-old is often one of Arsenal's more unsung heroes, and scored nine goals while providing 10 assists in all competitions this season.

His contract runs until the end of next season, however, with the Belgian having agreed a new two-year contract with a pay rise last August.

Arsenal could therefore cash in this summer on Trossard, who moved to the Emirates Stadium from fellow Premier League club Brighton in January 2023.

Leandro Trossard pictured with his Premier League winners' medal alongside Kai Havertz (Image: Getty)

Notably, the same report claims that Besiktas face competition from Newcastle in their attempts to sign Trossard, with the Magpies 'closely monitoring his situation'.

Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Aston Villa are also credited with an interest.

Villa's interest could assist Arsenal in signing Rogers, though the Europa League winners do not want to sell one of their prized assets.

For Newcastle, who have not qualified for European football next season, any offers for Tonali could be hard to resist - and they may be more likely to accept if a player they are interested in is offered as part of a swap deal.

The Magpies have already sold Anthony Gordon to Barcelona for a fee of around £75 million.

Gazzetta dello Sport report that Tonali's price tag has been set at an eye-watering £100 million, which is partly due to the existence of a 10 per cent sell-on clause that his previous club AC Milan inserted as part of the deal to bring him to St James' Park for £60.8m in 2023.