Arsenal have forgotten trick up their sleeve to land £40m Ajax star Mohammed Kudus

Arsenal could decide to pull off a clever trick to aid their hopes of bringing Ajax playmaker Mohammed Kudus to the Emirates Stadium this summer. The Gunners have already improved their squad with the additions of Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice but will be looking to add further quality, with Kudus thought to be on Mikel Arteta's list of other targets.

The Ajax man has been mentioned in connection with a move to England since impressing for Ghana at last year's World Cup, with Arsenal one of several clubs to have been credited with an interest in his signature. However, it has been reported by the Daily Mail that the north Londoners will need to raise money by selling players before chasing any more significant deals.The ideal solution to this issue could be hiding in plain sight in the form of Charlie Patino, who is facing an uncertain future at Arsenal as a result of his desire to play regular first-team football. The young midfielder had an underwhelming loan spell at Blackpool last season and it was revealed back in May that he is prepared to leave the Gunners in his bid to start matches on a weekly basis.Arsenal will undoubtedly be hoping to receive a decent fee for Patino, who is still thought to have bags of potential and has been among the club's highest-rated youth prospects in recent years. It would not be a surprise if a buy-back clause is inserted into such a deal, which would then help Arsenal beat their rivals to Patino's signature if he develops well.

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It would seem that the money raised by selling Patino could be reinvested into a move for Kudus, with Chelsea widely reported to be rivalling the Gunners in the race to snap him up this summer. Ajax are thought to value their man at around £40million but sporting director Sven Mislintat has already indicated that their asking price will continue to rise if no bids are tabled over the coming weeks."There are clubs that have informally enquired about him," he told Aglemeen Dagblad when quizzed on Kudus' current situation. "I don’t expect an offer very soon, although you know that things can be different in the football world. Perhaps the interest is not as serious as everyone thinks.

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"It is important for us that the relationship with the players remains good. This can be done by being transparent and applying good principles. As we get closer to the deadline, the transfer fee, for example, goes up. There is no fixed deadline, but there are agreements we must have to get replacements if we have not already done so proactively."It remains to be seen whether Arsenal will be able to beat Chelsea to the signing of Kudus in the near future as the Gunners look to fine-tune their squad ahead of the new Premier League campaign. His versatility in attack would stand him in good stead to succeed at either club, while last season's tally of 18 goals in 42 appearances for Ajax suggests that he might be a force to be reckoned with if a move to England comes off.

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