Arteta ‘straight on the phone’ to sign elite £340m-rated Man City trio for Arsenal, pundit claims

Arsenal are tipped to sign Rayan Cherki, Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo

Arsenal and boss Mikel Arteta have the pulling power to beat Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona to three of Manchester City’s biggest stars, should the Cityzens be forced to sell their prized assets in the wake of FFP-related punishments, an iconic former Manchester United star has claimed.

The eight-time Premier League champions have been caught up in the biggest storm in the competition’s 34-year history, having been found to have swelled their accounts over nine years between 2009 and 2018.

And while Manchester City continue to protest their innocence and plan to take their case to clear their name all the way to the High Court, the implications of the club’s 114 counts of financial irregularities could well result in expulsion from the top flight – and potentially even worse.

Indeed, with one observer predicting a doomsday scenario which could see them tumble out of the EFL altogether, the painful prospect of City losing their star names is becoming a reality they soon may need to deal with.

Understandably, given the huge quality of the squad the Abu Dhabi United Group have accrued, there would be no shortage of takers.

Top of the picks would surely be their attacking superstars Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo, who, worth a combined £340m between them, have already been linked with moves elsewhere.

However, despite strong links to both Real Madrid and Barcelona for Haaland, former Man Utd star Teddy Sheringham is backing the Norwegian goal machine to be more tempted by a move to Arsenal, where he could be joined by two of his teammates…

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Explaining why Arsenal have more pulling power than any other side in Europe right now, Sheringham told Hajper: “Arsenal will get first pick even ahead of Barcelona and Real Madrid because they are top of the pile at the moment, and they’re only going from strength to strength.

“Mikel Arteta is doing what Sir Alex Ferguson used to, going out and buying players when he’s already on top, and keeping that continuity within the football club. We’ve seen that with Ezri Konsa and Bruno Guimarães. They are two outstanding signings that keep the ball rolling and keep Arsenal moving forward.

“Arteta will have his eye on at least two or three Manchester City players. He’ll know a lot of them from working at Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s assistant. Erling Haaland? Rayan Cherki? Antoine Semenyo? He’ll be straight on the phone now seeing what’s possible.

“That’s what Sir Alex Ferguson would have done. He’d have broached the subject immediately. Think about the amount of top Scousers he wanted to sign from Liverpool over the years. Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Robbie Fowler.

“If Fergie was still the manager, he would ask the question. Whether Erling Haaland would look at Manchester United and think they’re not good enough for him, that’s another question.”

As far as Haaland is concerned, we revealed last week that Arsenal do have the funds to bankroll his astonishing signing, were City forced to sell.

However, sources are adamant he only has one destination in mind, with Haaland making his choice clear.

As for Cherki, while sources suggest he would be a player of interest, another of Europe’s superpowers are likely to try and come in to win the race for his signature.

The race for Semenyo could potentially be wider open, and we understand that Liverpool could look to exploit City’s situation as part of a daring double raid.

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