Unai Emery says Gunners trying to sign “very big, very expensive players”

Arsenal manager Unai Emery says the club are targeting “very big, very expensive” deals in the transfer market this summer.

The North London club have only signed 18-year-old winger Gabriel Martinelli so far this summer but remain determined to bring in another three or four players who can go improve the first team squad according to the Spaniard.

“Our target is to achieve three, four players to really improve our team and squad now,” Emery said ahead of Arsenal’s pre-season game against Bayern Munich on Thursday.

“We are being very demanding and we are also first speaking about the possibility to sign very big players, very expensive.

“The first player in our list is the first target and after, if we cannot have that then [we try to sign] the second, but thinking every time that they are going to improve our team.”

Having missed out on Champions League qualification, the Gunners’ transfer budget is thought to be as low as £40m.

The Gunners have had bids rejected for Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha and Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney, and are understood to be in advanced talks to sign Saint-Etienne defender William Saliba and Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos despite growing competition from the rivals including Tottenham Hotspur.

Emery says he and recently-appointed technical director Edu are in close contact with the Kroenkes over the club’s recruitment strategy.

“We are having a lot of meetings with the club, with [technical director] Edu, also with Josh and Stan Kroenke in Denver,” Emery added.

“We have a very clear idea: to sign the players who can help us with a good performance and in the positions we need.”