Arsenal report: Transfer budget for the summer revealed, as Gunners plan biggest summer spend EVER

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will have more money to spend this summer than any other Gunners boss has ever had in a single window.

That's according to one report that has declared the north Londoners' owners, Kroenke Sports Entertainment, are handing the Basque a war chest to compete at the very top. Arsenal are still mathematically in the title race but have already secured their return to the Champions League, too.

The Gunners last played in the competition in 2017. Now, Football Transfers reports that KSE will be handing a whopping £200 million to Arteta and sporting director Edu in order to bolster the squad.

While this figure seems huge, it is almost certainly an estimate that accounts for Arsenal's interest in Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo.

The former is believed to be the Gunners' priority target and worth between £80-100m, while in the January transfer window, Arsenal pursued Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Caicedo but were rebuffed. He will almost certainly cost a similar amount to Rice, having since signed a new deal.

The Athletic's David Ornstein mentioned on The Athletic Football Podcast that there is no set figure that Arsenal will spend this summer to his knowledge – though he mentioned that certain players have been outgrown by the Gunners' sharp rise up the table.

Folarin Balogun and Emile Smith Rowe, both Hale End academy graduates, may find it harder to break into Arteta's plans next season, with the former on loan in France and the latter failing to make a start all season. Another academy prospect, Charlie Patino, looks set to leave, too.

The Gunners are also believed to be looking for a physical striker and more defensive cover, making this transfer window potentially more expensive for them.

Arsenal are second in the table with four games remaining.

More Arsenal stories

Arsenal are already being linked with a host of big names ahead of a summer back in the Champions League.

Mason Mount is an option in midfield, with Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic and Bayer Leverkusen's Moussa Diaby rumoured in the attack. Both Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins and Crystal Palace star Wilf Zaha are on the radar, too. Younger stars are interesting the Gunners, too: Vitor Roque might end up at the Emirates, while Flamengo's Matheus Franca is being watched.

Meanwhile, cult hero Mathieu Flamini has refused to rule out a move to buy Arsenal.