Rivalry between Arsenal and Chelsea has been fierce in the Premier League era and right now a new battle is taking place as they fight for future transfer prospects that will define success over the coming years.
Chelsea have a six-year project in place that aims to see them dominating English and European football by 2030 both on and off the field. It’s that blueprint that is leading to the capture of so many young signings on big money and long-contracts. They are putting themselves in a strong position for the future.
Todd Boehly’s vision since coming in has been to leave no stone unturned. From Cristiano Ronaldo to Mykhailo Mudryk, every opportunity must be explored.
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Signing Mudryk and Joao Felix has been viewed as a slap in the face to Arsenal: their man target and back-up options both now wearing Chelsea blue.
But Arsenal’s move for Leandro Trossard, a player Chelsea have monitored and Graham Potter likes from his time at Brighton, suggests there are more battles to come between these two clubs in the market.
With that in mind, here we outline five further talents both Chelsea and Arsenal could fight over…
Manuel Locatelli
Another Juventus target to look out for is Italian midfielder Locatelli. Arsenal had a go at signing him before he moved to the Turin giants yet there are indications from sources that it is a situation they may revisit at the end of the season.
Issues at Juventus could lead to a mass overhaul and as part of that Locatelli could become available—which will also alert Chelsea, who have had him on the watchlist and regard him as a potential option for their midfield rebuild if other avenues become blocked.
Juve paid towards £40m to sign him just over a year ago and while this one might have to sit on the back burner a few more months, it’s one that will appeal to both clubs if he becomes available.
Dusan Vlahovic
Arsenal looked into this one last January and have grown in status since that moment. Vlahovic, a deadly striker who could be compared to Erling Haaland in terms of his goal threat, would give the Gunners a cutting edge in the Champions League next season when they make their return to the competition.
There is a lot to be figured out at Juve in the coming months, with a new board in place and the club under investigation about financial issues.
It may lead to player departures and as part of that Vlahovic’s situation is “not certain”, as one source explained. That could open the door to him moving to the Premier League.
The striker position remains one of the focus points for Chelsea as they consider their Boehly re-model. The Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang experiment will not continue much longer and while Kai Havertz is their top scorer this season, a tally of five Premier League goals is not exactly what is needed when trying to compete at the top end of the Premier League.
Vlahovic would not come cheap, he was a £66m signing one year ago, and predictions on his valuation vary between £70-£100m.
Rafael Leao
He has turned into a superstar at AC Milan and as he weighs up his new contract with the Italian champions there is plenty of focus too on what his next step will be.
It is true that he is more likely than not to re-sign with Milan very soon yet that does not mean he could not have his head turned at a later date.
The Chelsea interest in Leao is pretty strong. He is 23 and has pace and skill that he uses in wide attacking areas, yet he also has the ability to play centrally and, indeed, may make that No.9 position his long-term role.
The additions of Mykhailo Mudryk and Joao Felix means Chelsea are fine for the time being anyway and Christopher Nkunku is arriving in the summer. But Leao’s ambition means he is going to be tempted into a Premier League move in the not so distant future and the Blues have had an eye on him over the past 18 months.
Arsenal’s interest is real too but is going to hang on his valuation more than Chelsea’s would. The Blues have already shown they will pay almost anything for players of a certain profile - and a game changer like this ticks almost every box as they visualise the next six years.
The Gunners’ are focused on their Premier League chances for now but know that as soon as they are competitive in the Champions League, signings like this can become possible.
Declan Rice
All the talk recently has been of Rice joining Arsenal but do not discount Chelsea, who simply will not disappear in this race. It is true they have ideas beyond Rice—such as Moises Caicedo, Jude Bellingham and Enzo Fernandez—but there are a couple of long-standing figures within the Chelsea setup that continue to back Rice for a return to the club he grew up at.
Despite reports that he would be put off by the fact they might not have Champions League football next season, some sources close to the situation are undeterred and say Chelsea have a sales pitch ready that can convince any player in the world of joining their project. By 2030 there is a belief that both the Premier League trophy and Champions League trophy will be lifted again, given the type of players they are signing.
Rice is open to the prospect of returning to his childhood club but, of course, if Arsenal become Premier League champions their position is suddenly strengthened. Their rise under Mikel Arteta has been impressive but consider too they still like Youri Tielemans and have other good value prospects on the radar too. Rice would also need convincing this season is not a one-off—as Chelsea have a track-record to trust as well as the future vision.
Rice’s price-point of around £75million is achievable for both clubs and it’s an intriguing battle—one that may also be joined by Manchester City and Manchester United.
Ivan Fresneda
We should know very soon just what the future holds for 18-year-old Fresneda and there are many clubs looking right now, and Newcastle have been tipped to nab him. He is a very well respected player that seems to have a technical maturity beyond his years.
At the time of writing Arsenal have put themselves in a decent position to obtain his signature—at a moment they also they look to offload Cedric Soares—yet Chelsea’s right-back situation and their recent history of making late swoops means they should not be ignored.
The Blues want strong back-up for Reece James and have been searching for a profile of player that might be more accepting of such competition than targets such as Denzel Dumfries or Pedro Porro. With that in mind, Fresneda has started to show up on the radar and has a profile fit that is in line with other talent that has been snapped up in the Boehly era. It would be an exaggeration to say they are firmly in the race… but after what we have seen already this month, you can not rule it out!
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