Arsenal’s primary aim this season is to finish one place higher in the Premier League after successive second-placed finishes.
To bridge what is only a very small gap to reigning champions Manchester City, Mikel Arteta and Edu are hard at work in the summer transfer window.
David Raya has already arrived after the Gunners activated the £27m option to buy in the goalkeeper’s loan from Brentford.
Riccardo Calafiori has strengthened what was already the Premier League’s meanest defence following his £42m arrival from Bologna.
A new central midfielder is wanted, while a forward – be it a wide option or striker – is also on the agenda.
Arsenal’s attempts to tick off each of those boxes has now received a timely boost and it’s thanks in large part to Premier League rivals Liverpool and Tottenham.
Arsenal to succeed where Liverpool failed
Firstly, Liverpool’s failure to convince Martin Zubimendi to join the Reds has enhanced Arsenal’s chances of signing fellow Real Sociedad midfielder, Mikel Merino.
Real Sociedad were hellbent on retaining at least one of their star midfielders. The LaLiga side have offered both players new and improved contracts and their charm offensive with Zubimendi has proven successful, much to Liverpool’s dismay.
Zubimendi will now remain with the Basque side and is expected to sign a new contract. With Zubimendi staying, Real Sociedad are now more willing to part ways with Merino.
Arsenal have agreed personal terms on a four-year contract with the 28-year-old. Fabrizio Romano recently confirmed club-to-club talks regarding the payment structure and transfer fee were advancing.
Merino’s current deal with Real Sociedad expires at the end of the 2024/25 season. As such, the club in a weak bargaining position and must cash in this window if they’re to recoup a sizeable fee for the midfielder.
Failure to do so would leave Real Sociedad open to losing a highly saleable asset for nothing 10-and-a-half months from now.
Real Sociedad had initially hoped to collect around €50m if cashing in on Merino. With less than 12 months left on his deal, various reports have stated Arsenal can strike a deal worth roughly €30m.
Tottenham inadvertently aid Arsenal transfer
Elsewhere, the signing of a new forward could hinge on first shifting a requisite player and Arsenal are willing to sell Eddie Nketiah.
The proceeds from the sales of homegrown stars are extra lucrative for clubs given the fee received counts as pure profit on the balance sheet.
French giant Marseille tabled a bid for Nketiah, with Fabrizio Romano reporting the offer was worth €27m.
The Gunners rejected the bid, though did make it clear they would do business at €30m. A loan that contained an obligation to buy for €30m was also acceptable for Arsenal.
However, Nketiah’s proposed move to Marseille collapsed on Monday evening when the Ligue 1 side secured a deal to sign Elye Wahi of Lens instead. Multiple sources declared the Wahi move ends Marseille’s interest in Nketiah.
But thankfully for the Gunners, a new suitor has emerged for Nketiah and it’s inadvertently thanks to bitter rivals Tottenham.
Spurs signed Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth in a club-record £65m deal on Saturday. As you might expect, Bournemouth are now on the hunt for a replacement striker.
The Cherries have been unsuccessful in their attempts to sign FC Porto frontman, Evanilson. As such, both Fabrizio Romano and the Evening Standard have confirmed Bournemouth have now fixed their gaze on Nketiah.
Romano confirmed initial talks over the move have taken place and Bournemouth already know the magic number that can seal a deal.
If Arsenal were willing to sell Nketiah to Marseille in a deal worth €30m/£25.6m, it stands to reason a bid of that size from Bournemouth would be accepted.
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