Arsenal are facing up to a crisis this summer.
Mikel Arteta’s men have been in patchy form throughout this season and are currently ninth in the Premier League table.
The Gunners lie two points behind seventh-placed Tottenham Hotspur and six behind fifth-placed Manchester United; they are also 11 off fourth-placed Chelsea.
It remains to be seen if the north London club will be playing any European football at all next season and that could well lead to an exodus from the Emirates Stadium.
Indeed, a report in L’Equipe, via Sport Witness, has claimed that Matteo Guendouzi could be one of those players heading out the door.
The Frenchman is said to be growing frustrated over a lack of playing time under Arteta, playing just 12 times since the Spaniard’s appointment.
In that time, he has made just four Premier League starts and there appears to be a growing feeling from the 21-year-old that he may need to leave the club, and he will have no shortage of suitors.
The report claims that he has instructed his agents to find him a new club, and he is aware of the interest.
Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan are touted as potential destinations, while Juventus, Real Madrid, and Barcelona are also said to be attentive to his situation.
In a rather surprising twist, Manchester United are also said to be monitoring developments.
GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…
This could be a nightmare for Arsenal.
Guendouzi is still just 21 and the mere calibre of clubs looking at signing him should inform Arteta that he needs to pull out all the stops to keep him.
However, the report states that they want €48 million (£43.5m) for his signature and have not closed the door on his sale.
He has a tenacity that is lacking in other midfielders at the club; he averages 1.3 tackles per game in the league, per WhoScored, along with 1.2 interceptions. 0.7 fouls, 1.4 clearances, and a passing accuracy of 88.4%.
He is yet to make his senior France debut but Guendouzi is the exact profile of player that Arsenal need to be building around.
They cannot be chucking him out of the door.