The Premier League champions are preparing for a demanding season as they aim to defend their domestic crown while mounting another serious push in the Champions League.
Arsenal secured the league title last month with a game to spare before reaching the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, where they ultimately fell short in a penalty shootout in Budapest.
Despite that success, Mikel Arteta is far from satisfied. Ending a 22-year title drought was significant, but competing at the very top of European football has only raised expectations further at the club.
With the transfer window now open, Arsenal and their rivals across England and Europe are already planning ahead to the 2026–27 campaign and beyond. Reports from France suggest the Gunners have made contact over a potential move for PSG youngster Emmanuel Mbemba on a free transfer.
The France U18 international captains PSG’s U19 side but has yet to make a senior appearance. Although PSG have offered him professional terms—and Paris FC are also interested in keeping him in the capital—the teenager is believed to be considering a move abroad to begin his senior career.
Le Parisien reports that Arsenal are among the clubs to present their project to the highly rated defender, who has earned eight youth caps and has been closely monitored throughout the season.
However, a key obstacle remains: he does not yet have enough points to qualify for a UK work permit, meaning any move to England would require an initial loan spell elsewhere in Europe.
Mbemba, capable of playing both centre-back and left-back, has already enjoyed youth success with PSG and is also attracting interest from Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, and Bayern Munich.
While his talent is widely recognised at elite level, his immediate future is complicated by eligibility rules. Even if Arsenal win the race for his signature, a carefully planned loan move would likely be required to secure his development pathway.
A return to PSG on loan would be an obvious option, but given Arsenal’s recent Champions League battles with the French giants, a spell back in Paris would likely be a sensitive and unlikely arrangement.
