Arsenal must not sign £84,000,000 winger who Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang thinks is ‘incredible’, it would be a huge transfer mistake

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Arsenal want to sign a winger this summer, with Andrea Berta and Mikel Arteta keen on finding an upgrade on Gabriel Martinelli.

While adding a striker to Arteta’s ranks is important, the Gunners’ hierarchy views a dynamic wide forward as an equally important acquisition.

Martinelli’s future is uncertain, and while Leandro Trossard is expected to sign a new contract, the North Londoners need a fresh injection of quality on the left-hand side of their attack.

Nico Williams is Arsenal’s primary target, although the Spaniard is said to be reluctant to leave his home country as he eyes a switch to Barcelona.

Thus, Berta has compiled a shortlist of potential alternatives to the Athletic Club man.

• READ MORE: What Viktor Gyokeres has privately told his agents to ‘inform’ Arsenal and other clubs who want to sign him

Arsenal should not sign Rafael Leao this summer

Arsenal Insider revealed in April that Rafael Leao is a target for Arsenal, with the Gunners identifying the AC Milan wide man as one of their Williams alternatives.

A talented winger, the Portuguese has enjoyed a relatively fruitful campaign this year, scoring 12 goals and registering eleven assists across all competitions.

Reports emerged on Friday suggesting that Arsenal aren’t convinced by Leao, as they have reservations about his fit for Arteta’s team.

The Gunners are right to harbour concerns about the 25-year-old, and they ought to steer well clear of a player who will supposedly cost in the region of £84 million.

While an elite dribbler and ball carrier, Leao’s defensive output is simply non-existent, and for a team built on their pressing structure and defensive solidity, Arsenal cannot afford to carry a luxury player.

The biggest sides don’t want to carry players who are an active hindrance to them defensively any more when they’re trying to reach the latter stages of the Champions League, and Leao fits into this category.

A bad presser and someone who only comes alive when his team is in possession, the Gunners would be significantly worse off defensively with Leao replacing Martinelli.

Arteta could probably accept and sacrifice a loss of defensive solidity for a player who boasts elite attacking output, like Kylian Mbappe does for Real Madrid, but Leao doesn’t do that.

Eight goals and eight assists in Serie A is a respectable return this season from the Portugal international, but it’s not output that is worth spending £84 million on, when you’re also bound to become worse defensively with him in the side.

Factor in the minutes he’s played and the league in which he’s playing, and both Trossard’s and Martinelli’s output are actually in a similar bracket to Leao’s.

Ultimately, splashing in excess of £80 million on Leao would be a disastrous use of Arsenal’s limited resources.

Rafael Leao’s Statistics 2025/26

Statistically, Leao shows up exactly how you’d expect him to.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has described Leao as ‘incredible’, and it’s not hard to see why the Gabonese might admire him.

An exceptional dribbler and ball carrier, Milan’s talisman is capable of producing eye-catching moments of brilliance.

However, in the most important statistics that actually provide end product and value to the team he plays in, such as shots and expected goals, Leao is generally operating at a level between the 65th and 85th percentile.

This suggests that he’s not elite with his final ball or goal-scoring, and shouldn’t demand an excessive fee.

Adding in the fact that he’s making less than one tackle and interception per 90 minutes combined, and there are simply too many red flags.