Having already completed the signings of Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz, with the arrival of goalkeeper David Raya from Brentford imminent, Arsenal are still intent on bolstering their squad in order to top the table come the end of the campaign.
There are plenty of players within the squad who Mikel Arteta wants to move on, though, and the Gunners have decided the best way to get rid of them is to exchange them for stars Arteta desperately wants at the Emirates Stadium himself.
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As a result, Arsenal are offering Inter Milan Folarin Balogun and Takehiro Tomiyasu in exchange for their Italian midfielder Nicolo Barella, according to Italian outlet Calciomercato.
With Transfermarkt valuing Barella at an incredible £65m, Arsenal simply do not have the funds left in their budget to sign the Italian while also complying with financial fair play regulations.
However, offering the two aforementioned players helps the Gunners stay within their spending limits, while also getting two players off of the wage bill who are likely to leave this summer anyway.
Nicolo Barella Inter Milan midfielder and potentially the subject of an Arsenal swap deal
Indeed, Arsenal have reportedly rejected a £30m bid from Monaco for Balogun already, according to 90min, and are seeking a greater transfer fee for the forward. Tomiyasu, meanwhile, has fallen down the pecking order in the last 12 months, with the arrival of Timber certainly not helping his status in the squad.
Calciomercato suggests a potential swap deal could be possible between the two clubs, though Barella's worth to the team might be more than their valuations of Balogun and Tomiyasu combined.After all, the 26-year-old was an integral member of the Inter squad that reached last season's Champions League final, and is only entering his peak years as a player now.
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