Declan Rice and Ilkay Gundogan join Arsenal in the summer transfer overhaul

Arsenal may have enjoyed one of their best seasons in years, but they will need a major summer rebuild to have any hope of keeping up with Manchester City.

Arsenal’s defeat by Nottingham Forest on Saturday gave City the title with three games to spare, their fifth in six seasons.

Mikel Arteta’s side spent 248 days at the top of the table before crumbling when it mattered at the end of the season.

Whether due to injuries or pressure on them, the one thing they will definitely need in the summer is new signings.

All signs point to Arsenal attacking the market when they opened in June with a number of star names already linked with joining the Emirates.

Before they can sign, there will be several players who are likely headed out.

Granit Xhaka is likely to head to Bayer Leverkusen, while Kieran Tierney has also been linked with an exit after struggling to get into the squad since signing Oleksandr Zinchenko.

The midfield is said to be the area Arteta is looking to strengthen.

Athletic report that Ilkay Gundogan is targeted as well as an attack on best friends Declan Rice and Mason Mount.

Gundogan’s contract with Manchester City has expired, and the 32-year-old has yet to decide his future.

City would like to keep him, while an offer is likely to come from Barcelona.

Arteta was Pep Guardiola’s assistant at City and that former relationship could help lead him to the midfield maestro.

Gundogan has been the best player in the Premier League in recent seasons, something Arsenal desperately need if they are to cross the line in the title race.

West Ham star Rice is one of Arsenal’s hottest targets this summer, but his cost could potentially be as high as £100m.

Mason Mount, Rice’s best friend since childhood, remains uncertain about his future after failing to agree a new contract with Chelsea.

He will have one year left on his current deal in the summer and the club will have to decide whether or not to cash in on him.

Another position in need of strengthening is right-back, with Ben White playing as a temporary full-back for much of the season.

Real Valladolid’s Ivan Fresnida has been closely linked with a move to north London, even close to the January deadline.

The addition of these players would give Arsenal some much-needed depth in the new season.

The signing of the right-back position would allow Ben White to rotate with Gabriel and William Saliba at centre-back, with Rob Holding not cutting it completely when called upon.

Rice will compete with Thomas Partey for the central midfield role, while Gundogan will come in place of Xhaka to complete the midfield trio with Martin Odegaard.

Mason Mount could also return to midfield, while he also played on the left wide for Chelsea and England, making room for an attacking left-back.

He was seeing competition from Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe.

A fresh striker could potentially be essential in the summer, funds permitting, with Gabriel Jesus not the target of the 20-plus strikers for the season they need.

Bukayo Saka is the first name on the team sheet on the right wing and completes the XI.