Arsenal have already bumped their summer transfer warchest after Monza signed centre-back Pablo Mari permanently.
The Gunners have big plans in the transfer window with Mikel Arteta looking to strengthen his squad as they prepare for the Champions League.
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And the funds available at Arsenal have grown after Monza triggered a clause in their loan deal for Mari.
It means that the Spaniard has signed for the Serie A outfit on a permanent transfer after moving to Italy last summer on loan.
The clause was triggered after Monza secured safety in the Italian top-flight with a 1-1 draw against AS Roma on Wednesday.
The resulting fee was set at £4.4million, adding to Arteta’s wallet ahead of the upcoming transfer window.
Mari made a total of 14 Premier League appearances for the Gunners after joining on loan initially in January 2020 from Brazilian outfit Flamengo, before the deal was made permanent that summer.
This season, the centre-back has played 25 times for Monza, but was also the victim of a horrific knife crime near Milan in October.
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Mari was stabbed while shopping in a supermarket with his family and had to be airlifted to hospital along with several other victims, while another was tragically killed in the attack.
The next day, the 29-year-old said in a statement: “After the hard moment we experienced yesterday, both my family and I want to communicate that fortunately we are all fine despite the circumstances.
“And we want to thank all the messages of support and affection that we are receiving.
“In addition, we want to send our condolences and all our strength to the family and friends of the deceased person, and we sincerely wish that all injured people recover as soon as possible.”
Arsenal have big plans in the transfer window and have eyed up a defensive midfielder to bolster their ranks.
West Ham star Declan Rice is the top target, but Southampton’s Romeo Lavia and Brighton’s Moises Caicedo are also being looked at.
Wilfried Zaha could also be signed on a free transfer with his Crystal Palace contract set to expire at the end of the season.
And Bayer Leverkusen forward Moussa Diaby has also been targeted as the Gunners prepare to make another assault on the Premier League title, as well as build a squad capable of competing in the Champions League.
Arsenal were knocked off their perch at the top of the table on Wednesday night after Manchester City beat West Ham and now trail by a point with four games left.