Mikel Arteta has two secret weapons to help convince Xavi Simons to sign for Arsenal over Chelsea

Chelsea could hijack Arsenal's long-standing interest in RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons but the Gunners can call on two secret weapons to get the better of their London rivals for the Dutchman.

After winning the Club World Cup, Chelsea are in the process of overhauling their squad having already added Liam Delap and Joao Pedro this summer. Noni Madueke, meanwhile, has joined Arsenal, while a number of other first-team players are set to leave like Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix and Ben Chilwell.

Enzo Maresca's side are looking to further strengthen their side, having sealed a return to the Champions League, with Simons becoming a new transfer target this week. Reports say Simons wants to leave Leipzig after they failed to qualify for European football for the coming campaign, and could be available for under £60m.

The 22-year-old, who only made the permanent move to Germany last summer from Paris Saint-Germain, is also a target for Arsenal.

Simons has told RB Leipzig that he wants to leave after they missed out on European football. (Image: Getty)

The Gunners could still be interested despite Madueke's arrival given his cut-price valuation. And, if they do, Mikel Arteta could have two secret weapons up his sleeve to persuade Simons to pick the Emirates over Stamford Bridge.

Firstly, new signing Madueke is a former teammate of Simons from their shared time at PSV Eindhoven, with the pair enjoying a good relationship on and off the pitch before their big-money moves to PSG and Chelsea respectively.

Secondly, Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber is an international teammate of Simons for the Netherlands, so could help sell the benefits of Arsenal over Chelsea.

Timber spoke about the Gunners' plans in the summer window last month, saying: "It will definitely be a busy one for Arsenal. I think we will get a lot of players, because we had so many injuries last season.

"At one point we almost had no players left. So for the depth of the players they definitely want to get players."

Madueke and Simons were teammates at PSV Eindhoven. (Image: Getty)

Simons already offered to Arsenal?

Some rumours suggest that Simons may already have been offered to Arsenal this summer, before Chelsea's reported interest. Simons' new agent, Ali Barat, has a good working relationship with Arsenal having represented Madueke in his recent transfer.

He is also said to specifically work well with Arsenal Sporting Director Andrea Berta, which could further boost their position if Simons was a genuine target. Berta has already moved Arsenal's transfer operation in a new direction after the departure of Edu, with Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard arriving at the Emirates. Viktor Gyokeres is likely to join them as negotiations continue with Sporting over a £67m transfer.