rewrite this title Arsenal: Berta now targeting £80m Premier League star as Rodrygo talks stall

Arsenal transfer chief Andrea Berta is now targeting a marquee Premier League forward for Mikel Arteta, as his talks for Real Madrid star Rodrygo hit a snag.

Arsenal open talks for Rodrygo in chase for quality new winger

Last week, Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg broke news that Arsenal had opened talks over a move for Rodrygo, with Berta in hot pursuit of a quality new winger who can provide them with even more goals and assists.

Rodrygo shot to the “very top” of Berta’s list of transfer targets in that regard, but it is still seen as a pretty difficult deal to pull off for a multitude of reasons.

The 24-year-old, who’s bagged 13 goals and 10 assists in all competitions over 50 total appearances this season, is also on around £202,000-per-week at Real. This would make Rodrygo one of Arsenal’s highest-paid players on a wage bill which is already pretty significant, with the Gunners’ annual payroll already totalling around £170 million.

If you also factor in his £68 million rumoured price tag, a move for Rodrygo suddenly becomes a costly operation, and Arsenal need to set aside their summer funds carefully as they also target a prolific striker.

Taking all of this into account, it’s actually little surprise that negotiations are now stumbling, as reported by Plettenberg this week.

Arsenal eye Kaoru Mitoma as Rodrygo talks stall

Writing via X, the Sky journalist claims that Brighton star Kaoru Mitoma has now been identified as an alternative to the Real winger, with a move for Rodrygo proving complex as talks stall.

As Arsenal become faced with the very real possibility of having to give up on their “dream signing”, as per Plettenberg, Mitoma could prove to be a tempting option in place of Rodrygo.

The Japan star has scored 11 goals and bagged a further four assists in total throughout 24/25, enjoying yet another productive season at the Amex, but he won’t exactly be much cheaper than Rodrygo.

Reports suggest Mitoma could cost as much as £80 million to prise away from the south coast, with Brighton known to be stern negotiators when it comes to selling their star players.

The 27-year-old won’t be a signing for the ultra-long-term either as he fast approaches his prime, so this is a move which Berta will need to consider very carefully.