Arsenal could shelve Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo bids for Mason Mount transfer in big reshuffle

Arsenal will rival Liverpool in the battle to sign Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount this summer, signalling a change in Mikel Arteta’s transfer plans.

The Gunners‘ stuttering Premier League title bid has made the weaknesses in their squad evidently clear and the Spanish coach is keen to patch up those holes this summer, rather than splash out all his available cash on one player.

Arsenal have been linked with a long-term interest in West Ham captain Declan Rice, as well as Brighton star Moises Caicedo, as Arteta looks to sign another commanding midfielder to sit alongside Thomas Partey.

The 4-1 title showdown defeat – as Pep Guardiola’s men climbed to within two points of the Gunners, and with two games in hand over the league leaders – saw the north London side overrun in midfield as they struggled to cope with a dominant City.

Arteta is keen to oversee a makeover of his midfield options to give his team more of a solid foundation, but is aware of other problem areas of his squad that also need addressing.

Rice has been a key target for the club for months, but West Ham’s valuation of £100million-plus could see Arsenal look elsewhere.

Caicedo is another option, but he signed a new contract with Brighton after seeing a possible January transfer to the Emirates Stadium fall through, and so he will not come cheap either.

According to the Daily Mail, Arteta feels it would be wiser to spread that money across the signing of a few more players to add cover to his squad – which they will need next season back in the Champions League and if they want to challenge for the league again.

Therefore, Arsenal have entered the race for Mount, who is seen as a more affordable option given his contract situation at Chelsea.

The England midfielder’s long-term future at Stamford Bridge is in doubt with the 24-year-old yet to agree a new deal with his boyhood club.

Mount will enter the final 12 months of his current contract in June and he has reportedly turned down a £200,000-a-week offer from Chelsea, because he feels deserving of a deal closer to Raheem Sterling’s £300,000-a-week deal he signed with the London club last summer.

With negotiations said to be at a halt, Liverpool and Manchester United are said to be interested in taking advantage, and now Arsenal have joined the chase.

Sealing a cut-price deal for Mount would allow Arteta to put the rest of his summer war chest to good use in other areas, particularly in defence having seen their title bid take a nosedive following the injury to centre-back William Saliba.

Arsenal are also said to be planning to offload a host of fringe players to help fund their summer strengthening, with Kieran Tierney, Reiss Nelson, Folarin Balogun and Ainsley Maitland-Niles among those up for sale.

Meanwhile, it is claimed the Gunners will also listen to offers for Granit Xhaka, despite the 30-year-old Swiss midfielder’s resurgence in Arteta’s team this season.