Mikel Arteta's side tasted victory in their second pre-season match of the summer against Manchester United but have yet to see much in the way of new arrivals to strengthen their squad as they bid to finally overcome Manchester City. The Gunners have twice finished runners-up to Pep Guardiola's men and will hope to go a step further in 2024/25.
So far they have only seen goalkeepers added to their ranks. David Raya has seen his loan made permanent, while Arsenal signed young shotstopper Tommy Setford from Ajax.
Sporting director Edu is still hard at work with ambitions to strengthen head coach Arteta's hand ahead of the new season. Mirror Football takes a look at where the north London side stand in the transfer market.
Riccardo Calafiori announcement
It's a deal that has felt close for a while now but the Gunners continue to near completing a deal for the Italian defender. Arsenal agreed a deal with Bologna and have continued to make progress with the squad in the United States.
The 22-year-old remained apart from the Serie A side's pre-season camp and has since travelled with his agents to complete his medical in London. Now that appears to be complete and Calafiori's travels have not stopped.
The defender, who is set to become an option at left-back for Arteta, is now en route to the United States to join up with his new team ahead of an announcement. Calafiori is set to make the trip on Sunday afternoon after undergoing his medical earlier in the weekend.
Incoming hopes
Arsenal do not plan to end their dealings there. After Calafiori's arrival they hope to still add a midfielder and a forward to their ranks.
The Gunners are said to be in talks for Real Sociedad and Spain star Mikel Merino, who is in the final year of his contract. There is hope that the former Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund ace is available for a relatively modest fee.
The Spaniard is not Arsenal's only target, but reports suggest that they will advance their move for the 28-year-old after a positive start to proceedings. The north London side seeing a player leave first could prove pivotal in them progressing with the transfer however.
Nico Williams is another name linked with arriving at the Emirates. Arsenal would appear to have significant competition from Barcelona for his signature while the player appears fairly relaxed about his future.
The Euro 2024 champion posted a picture of a sunset from the side of a boat on his Instagram story, as he enjoys his time off. The winger wrote: “calm down” with a head massage emoji.
Athletic Club boss Ernesto Valverde also appears unconcerned by speculation. The former Barca manager appears confident he will have Williams at his disposal for 2024/25.
Nico Williams waving after the Euro 2024 final (
Image:
UEFA via Getty Images)
"I have no doubts about Nico,” he said. “He looks good and happy. This year we have many challenges ahead of us and I'm sure Nico will love to face them. He hasn't been the only player who has had to live with rumours because the market will be open until the end of August.
"He's a great player and there may be clubs who might be interested in him, but he's happy with us and we're happy with him. We're counting on Nico for when he returns from the holidays."
The Basque side are ready to offer Williams a new deal, while Barcelona and their rivals are awaiting the star's final decision 'soon'.
Outgoings
Emile Smith Rowe's departure could be the move to facilitate action for Merino. The Arsenal youth product made the trip for pre-season in the United States but has not been involved in the Gunners' friendlies thus far with talks underway over a move to Fulham.
The 24-year-old is set to depart in a £35m deal with talks at an advanced stage over a transfer to Craven Cottage. It would see the west London side pay their record fee.
Jakub Kiwior's limited action in the US could also indicate he is expected to move. According to Polish media outlet Meczyki, Kiwior is preparing to end his 18-month spell at Arsenal.
The Poland international is drawing interest from Serie A, including from Bologna who will look to replace Calafiori. Inter Milan and Juventus are also said to be admirers.
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