Arsenal are willing to sell key players this summer to fund another summer spending spree, with seven first-team stars, including club captain Martin Odegaard, facing uncertain futures.
Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta have already plotted their plan to oversee another statement summer and want to strengthen the squad in time to defend their Premier League crown and go one better in the Champions League.
And they are now ramping up efforts after spending £257million last summer on Kepa Arrizabalaga, Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyokeres, Piero Hincapie, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Norgaard and Martin Zubimendi.
Signing a left-winger is top of the list for the Gunners, with Morgan Rogers a priority. Aston Villa are understood to want £80m for their playmaker, who is currently part of England’s World Cup squad.
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Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis is also wanted and is expected to cost the north Londoners around £34m. Marcus Rashford, who is set to return to Manchester United this summer after spending last season on loan at Barcelona, has loosely been linked with a move to the Emirates.
Arsenal will prioritise bringing Rogers to the club, but left wing isn’t the only area they want to improve. Arteta is keen to add more competition in midfield, and Ayyoub Bouaddi, the 18-year-old Lille midfielder who has impressed at the World Cup with Morocco, heads their shortlist.
Arsenal’s finances are in a good position, and having won the Premier League last season for the first time in 22 years, they can also attract the best players.
They also need to balance the books, but have struggled to sell their top talent for big money over the last decade. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s £35million move to Liverpool in 2017 remains their largest ever sale – but that could change this summer.
As many as seven first-team stars face uncertain futures this summer, including Odegaard . football.london has already reported that no contract talks had yet to officially start before the end of the season, with two years remaining on his deal.
Bayern Munich are thought to hold an interest, as do Paris Saint-Germain, but the Gunners would demand a large fee to part ways with their skipper.
In regard to other midfielders, Ethan Nwaneri – who struggled on loan at Marseille last season – is another player who could push for a move if there is no guarantee of more game time under Arteta.
Chelsea, however, will not be making a move for the highly-rated playmaker as it stands. Norgaard is another who struggled for regular football last campaign, making just one Premier League start.
Despite only joining from Brentford for £15m last summer, the 32-year-old may consider his options.
Given their interest in signing a left-sided forward, Arsenal are understood to be open to selling Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli .
The trio all have one year left on their contracts – although they have a one-year option on Martinelli – but they will not allow anyone to leave on the cheap and are believed to want around £20m for Jesus.
Ben White is wanted by a number of Premier League and European clubs, but the Gunners are in no immediate rush to sell the defender. He has two years remaining on his contract, with the club holding an option for a further 12 months.
A decision on his future will depend on Jurrien Timber’s injury, after the defender was forced to withdraw from the Netherlands’ World Cup squad with a groin problem.
Arsenal are not desperate to sell any of their players, and it would depend on who they recruit. But it could be another summer in north London…
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