Arsenal may still have two fixtures of the 2022/23 campaign still to play but sporting director Edu Gaspar is already preparing for a busy summer of business off the pitch.
The Gunners look set to fall narrowly short of winning the Premier League for the first time since 2004, with Manchester City in pole position to win their ninth and third straight title.
Champions League football will return to north London after a six-year absence, however.
Mikel Arteta will undoubtedly want to not only do well in UEFA's prestigious competition but go one better next season and to do that, he'll need substantial backing in the transfer market.
And it's thought that could begin in defence as links to RB Leipzig defender Mohamed Simakan have emerged.
What's the latest on Arsenal's interest in Mohamed Simakan?
According to the Guardian's Ed Aarons, Arsenal have a "strong interest" in signing the 23-year-old from the Bundesliga outfit when the window re-opens for business next month. That is despite the young talent signing a contract extension to 2027 back in December.
The France U21 international cost Leipzig around €15m (£13m) in March 2021 and his exposure to senior football, combined with his undoubted potential and talent, has since seen his value soar to an estimated £30m, as per FootballTransfers.
Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain were thought to be quoted around €40m (£35m) last summer.
Edu and co aren't the only potential suitors for his signature, though, as they seem set to face rival interest from Manchester United, as per Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna.
What would Mohamed Simakan bring to Arsenal?
Much of the talk heading into the summer is regarding the Gunners' pursuit of Declan Rice and whilst he would be a huge statement signing to bolster a threadbare engine room, the addition of Simakan could prove even more beneficial to Arteta and his system.
Reports have recently emerged suggesting that the Spaniard would like to shift Ben White back into a more natural central defensive role, which would open up a glaring void at right-back, particularly because there technically isn't one contracted to the club. Takehiro Tomiyasu, like the Englishman, is a cross between a centre-back and a full-back.
Simakan is another similar prospect but has shone in the right-sided role at Leipzig.
The shift of White back into the heart of defence would ensure that the side can cope with any injuries next season as they look to trump City to a likely tenth title. The absence of William Saliba and subsequent reliance on a poorer quality alternative in Rob Holding has arguably cost the Gunners a real shot at glory.
Simakan's arrival would go to great lengths in ensuring this does not happen again.
The versatile Marseille-born "monster" – as hailed by journalist Robin Bairner – has admirably stepped up to fill Nordi Mukiele's shoes at the Red Bull Arena. No other Leipzig player registered a better average WhoScored rating in the Champions League this term (7.24) as he registered four goal contributions in just six starts in the competition.
Such exploits have seen his statistical profile likened to that of current Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko, via FBref, so perhaps Arteta would be getting a more defensively sound version of the Ukraine international – and that would only benefit the side tenfold.
And when you compare his performances at right-back with his positional peers across Europe's elite five divisions, you quickly learn just how immensely talented he is.
As per FBref again, Simakan ranks inside the top 1% of the aforementioned cohort for assists, shot-creating actions and touches in the penalty box per 90, as well as the top 2% for progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90, and even the top 8% for progressive passes per 90.
This would suggest that the Leipzig dynamo is an efficient ball carrier, particularly in getting forward from deep and one that is capable of providing some creativity in the final third. This is also similar to White, who has mustered up two goals and three assists in 2023 alone.
During his efforts in the UCL this term, Simakan has also averaged 2.3 tackles per game, which sees him rank second overall, and a squad-high 1.7 interceptions per game, also using his 6 foot 2 frame to win 1.6 aerial duels per game – more than anyone else too, per WhoScored.
It is perhaps why scout Jacek Kulig once hailed the former Strasbourg prodigy as "underrated," "versatile," "strong" and "complete," as well as comparing him to a "young Lillian Thuram."
The array of superlatives and comparisons doesn't just stop there, though.
His former coach Francois Keller once claimed that Simakan was "the new Varane," referring to current Manchester United superstar Raphael Varane, due to his "athletic" and "powerful" attributes.
Given the evidence above, the arrival of the Leipzig sensation could really transform Arsenal's fortunes defensively as his presence at right-back would allow White to provide genuine competition alongside Jakub Kiwior to both Gabriel Magalhaes and Saliba.
The Gunners shouldn't give up their pursuit of Rice either as the addition of these two transfer targets would seriously bolster Arteta's squad, though it is Simakan that seems an absolute perfect fit for the Spaniard and his exciting system.