Arsenal's plot to attack London rivals for key player revealed, as Arteta seeks to solve major problem

Arsenal sporting director Edu is reportedly interested in signing Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi as the Gunners' eye quality cover for William Saliba.

The Frenchman's absence through injury has been a blow to Arsenal's title hopes in recent weeks, with Manchester City now favorites to lift the trophy.

Now it looks like Edu and co will target Guehi this summer, but the Gunners may have to pay a hefty fee for his services.

In January, Arsenal paid £20m for centre-back Jakub Kiwior, who was expected to support Saliba.

However, the 23-year-old didn't have the desired impact. Instead, Arteta opted to launch Rob Holding in Saliba's absence.

Although the Holding were dominated by Erling Haaland on Wednesday, as Manchester City beat Arsenal 4-1 at the Etihad.

As a result, the Gunners are looking to bring in Guehi, who has been a key player for Crystal Palace this season.

That's according to the Daily Express, which claims Guehi is "interesting" in Arteta, having gained two years of valuable Premier League experience.

Since joining Crystal Palace in 2021, the defender has made 78 appearances in all competitions, quickly becoming a key player for the club. In fact, Guehi has started all but one of the Eagles' Premier League appearances this season.

His solid performances earned him a call up to Gareth Southgate's England squad in September, showing just how highly rated he is.

With that in mind, it's no surprise to see Arsenal vying for Guehi's signature. However, as mentioned, it won't come cheap.

Guehi is under contract at Selhurst Park until 2026, so Palace are under no immediate pressure to sell him. As a result, the Gunners may have to pay more for his services.

Transfermarktvalues ​​Guehi at around £35million, but it looks likely the Eagles could demand a fee above that this summer.

The question for the Palace star, however, is whether he would be willing to join Arsenal and most likely see his playing time heavily reduced next season.

Indeed, Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have formed a great defensive partnership this season and have been a big reason for their success.

Saliba suffered a back injury against Sporting Lisbon in March and hasn't played since.

The defender could also be out for the season, with Arteta revealing in a recent interview that his recovery is taking longer than expected.

"As far as William is concerned, we still have to wait a little longer," Arteta said.

"He's not progressing as fast as we hoped and it's a bit tricky so we want to be sure that when we push him, he's ready to take the load and the risk we're going to take, and it is not possible at the moment."

So it will be interesting to see if Guehi leaves Palace for Arsenal this summer.

Certainly he would have a better chance of winning trophies at the Emirates, but his place in England could be in jeopardy if he fails to play regular minutes next season.

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