£78m Real Madrid gem and wonderkid sign: Arsenal's monster 2025/26 line-up if new rumours are true

Arsenal fans may have spent much of June wondering when their side was going to start signing players, but at the rate they’re going now, a better question could be when they’ll stop.

£60m midfielder Martín Zubimendi has arrived after a protracted negotiating process, a new back-up goalkeeper is in place in the shape of Kepa Arrizabalaga, and if even half of the rumours connecting players with a move to the Emirates are true, then they will soon be joined by a whole host of fresh talent.

With so many new players on the way, Mikel Arteta’s squad is likely to look very different next season as they look to bring their habit of always being the forlorn bridesmaid to a victorious end, and bring the Premier League title back to north London for the first time in over 20 years. We’ve pulled together a probable starting line-up for the Gunners for the 2025/26 season below based on the likely outcome of all their wheeling and dealing.

Arsenal’s possible goalkeeper & defence next season

GK: David Raya (£30m); LB: Jorrel Hato (£40m), CB: William Saliba (£27m), CB: Gabriel Magalhães (£27m), RB: Ben White (£50m)

Arsenal seem to want at least two more defenders after bidding farewell to Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu, with Jakub Kiwior and perhaps Oleksandr Zinchenko likely to follow them out of the door – but as it stands, one of their targets seems more likely to make it to the Emirates than the other.

Negotiations over a £40m move for Ajax youngster Jorrel Hato, who can play on the left or in the centre of defence, have been relatively slow, but the Gunners still appear to be firmly at the front of the queue. A widely-reported deal for Valencia’s Cristhian Mosquera, however, seems to have stalled somewhat as the Spanish club play hardball over their asking price, while trying to tempt the Colombian to sign a new contract and stay at the Mestalla. Mosquera may well still make the move but is unlikely to immediately displace either Gabriel or Saliba from the startling line-up.

How Arsenal’s new-look midfield could shape up

DM: Martín Zubimendi (£60m), Declan Rice (£105m); AM: Martin Ødegaard (£34m)

We’ve seen the big move of the summer in midfield already with Zubimendi finally arriving from Real Sociedad after a lengthy tug-of-war between Arsenal and Real Madrid, and between him, former Real Sociedad team-mate Mikel Merino, club captain Martin Ødegaard and record signing Declan Rice, the core of the midfield is pretty much in place now.

Christian Nørgaard will provide depth in the more defensive areas after arriving from Brentford, while it’s possible that Ødegaard and Merino get additional competition for the number ten spot if Arsenal sign a particular left winger who can play through the middle too – more of which in a moment.

With Jorginho and Thomas Partey both having left the Emirates, don’t be surprised if a young midfielder is signed to provide both emergency depth and some promise for the future. The player Arsenal wanted for that role had been Sverre Nypan, but the teenage Norwegian chose a move to Manchester City instead.

Arsenal’s bold new attacking line - including Viktor Gyokeres and Rodrygo

LW: Rodrygo (£78m); RW: Bukayo Saka (academy); CF: Viktor Gyökeres (£69m)

The battle between Viktor Gyökeres and current employers Sporting over his future and potential price tag has slowed progress on a deal down, but while the haggling and rancour seem set to continue for a while yet, one thing remains unchanged – the Swede wants to move to Arsenal, his representatives are briefing that he isn’t considering other teams, and the Gunners most certainly want him.

We suspect that they’ll find a price eventually, probably in the £60-70m region – we’ve settled on €80m (£69m) as a best guess for now. Gyökeres has made it abundantly clear that he’s set on leaving Portugal, and these deals usually get done in the end. Just don’t expect the presentation in the next few days.

Arsenal will also bring in reinforcements on the wing. Having seemingly looked at a dozen different left wingers, it now seems to be a question of whether the Gunners sign Real Madrid’s Rodrygo or Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze. The England man is likely to be cheaper and offers some positional versatility, but negotiations over a deal for Rodrygo appear to be further along. As it stands, we think that’s the deal that gets done.

We also believe that Arsenal will press ahead with a bid for Chelsea’s Noni Madueke, who is believed to be available for around £50m. Arsenal may abandon a deal if they can’t haggle the price down a little, but even if Madueke does make the move across London we can’t see him taking Bukayo Saka’s starting spot. Madueke will offer valuable depth and allow Saka to be rotated more often, but Saka would remain the first choice.

That’s a plausible starting XI for the 2025/26 season worth £520m – and, on paper, it looks an awful lot like a team which should have a great chance of winning a title. Whether the Gunners can finally get over the line with reigning champions Liverpool spending so freely this summer, of course, remains to be seen.