Aside from Nketiah, Aaron Ramsdale is the most likely Arsenal player to depart, with the England goalkeeper open to going abroad. Eredivisie giants Ajax have had a loan bid rejected but remain in talks and believe Ramsdale is keen on a switch to the Netherlands.
Atletico Madrid and Bournemouth are two other sides to have enquired. However, GMS understands that Newcastle United never made an offer, or even advanced talks, despite reports.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Aaron Ramsdale was limited to just 990 minutes of action in all competitions last season, having been displaced by David Raya as Arsenal's first-choice shot-stopper
Reiss Nelson will also be allowed to leave Arsenal for a fee in excess of £15m. West Ham United and Leicester City have both made approaches but believe that price is too steep.
Arsenal have already sold 20-year-old defender Brooke Norton-Cuffy to Genoa for an initial €2m with a further €2m in add-ons.
Timber Hands Arteta Significant Boost
Defender close to returning to full fitness after injury issues
Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber
Meanwhile, ahead of Arsenal’s season opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Jurrien Timber is close to full fitness in a big boost for the club. The 23-year-old defender missed much of last term with a serious knee injury, and has since suffered a minor foot issue during pre-season, but Arteta said his recovery has been “very positive”.
Fabio Vieira should also be back from a minor hip issue, but Takehiro Tomiyasu won’t return until September at the earliest due to a knee injury.
Overall, Arteta has been delighted with Arsenal’s pre-season, which has seen them lose just once and add versatile left-sided defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna, as well as make Raya’s Brentford loan permanent.
As Arsenal’s players have further strengthened their bond ahead of the new season, it was revealed by The Athletic that Arteta deployed a novel trick to teach his squad a lesson. At a team dinner, the Spanish tactician secretly hired pickpockets to rob his players before asking them to empty their pockets, and to their surprise, several phones and wallets were missing. Arteta then fessed up that he was behind the mock-robbery and warned his players they will need to stay alert at all times, on and off the pitch.
Arsenal are now very focused on the final two weeks of the window with their next task to try and get Merino over the line at a fee they consider a steal.
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