Arsenal could spend £200m in a matter of days as Mikel Arteta hones in on transfer deals

  

Arsenal are ready to smash their summer spending record to try and take the fight to Manchester City next season.

The club are planning to splash over £200m, all in the next few days, with deals for Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber all in the pipelines. A £65m deal for Havertz is close to being sealed with the Chelsea star set to undergo a medical in the coming days, but snapping up Rice and Timber might prove a little trickier.

The Gunners are lining up a third and possibly final bid, understood to be in excess of £100m with add-ons, for West Ham skipper Rice, though interest from City could scupper the move. The Hammers rejected Arsenal's two opening bids flat out and although Mikel Arteta and Co. are still confident of landing their man, the situation is more than a little precarious.

Meanwhile, their move for Ajax defender Timber is also progressing after an opening £30m bid was turned down. Bayern Munich have also registered interest in the 22-year-old while Manchester United are monitoring the situation, but it's understood the player favours a move to the Emirates.

Ajax want around £50m for Timber, and although Arsenal aren't prepared to go that high they're optimistic a deal can be done.

The north London side will be desperate to reel Pep Guardiola's City side in after being agonisingly pipped to the Premier League title last season after launching their first genuine title challenge in over a decade.