Arsenal and sporting director Andrea Berta are getting busy behind-the-scenes, and supporters are very eager to see them strengthen with key new signings after a lacklustre Premier League title challenge.
Mikel Arteta has already expressed the need for Gunners officials to bolster his squad in certain areas, with the Spaniard publicly predicting a “big” next few months in the transfer window.
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The dynamic winger would be an excellent addition to Arsenal’s squad.
The arrival of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi has already been agreed after months of talks dating back to January, and despite some concerns over his cryptic comments recently, the move apparently remains on track with Arsenal regarding the Spaniard as “done and signed” (David Ornstein).
|
Arsenal transfer spending under Arteta (via Sky Sports) |
Money on new signings |
|---|---|
|
19/20 – winter |
£0 |
|
20/21 – summer |
£81.5m |
|
20/21 – winter |
£900k |
|
21/22 – summer |
£156.8m |
|
21/22 – winter |
£1.8m |
|
22/23 – summer |
£121.5m |
|
22/23 – winter |
£59m |
|
23/24 – summer |
£208m |
|
23/24 – winter |
£0 |
|
24/25 – summer |
£101.5m |
|
24/25 – winter |
£0 |
Arsenal are still believed to be closing in on a deal for Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga too (BBC), despite the wait for an official confirmation from north London, but a lot of the noise is centered around their pursuit of a striker.
Last week, Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres was reportedly subject to a failed bid from Arsenal, according to Portuguese newspaper Record, with Berta appearing to simultaneously work on deals for both the 27-year-old and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
As reported by Romano there, talks remain ongoing over the latter despite the Gyokeres noise, coming after the Slovenia international rounded off a career-best Bundesliga campaign with 21 goals in all competitions last season.
However, there are some discrepancies over his price tag, and he could end up being a costly operation, with Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg saying that Sesko’s final price could be up to £85 million despite reports of a release clause below that figure.
Arsenal could sign Benjamin Sesko in the next two weeks
According to talkSPORT’s Ben Jacobs, speaking on a call with the broadcast giant this week, an Arsenal move for Sesko remains alive, and they could still strike a deal for the 22-year-old before the end of June.
“Well, I think it also comes down to the player. If they agree a fee for Sesko, I think that one could actually be done when the window opens on the 16th of June,” said Jacobs.
“I’m not saying day one of when the window reopens, but certainly in the last two weeks of this month.”
Sesko is a player who Arsenal wanted last summer and attempted to sign in January (Ben Jacobs), so he’s long been on Arteta’s radar, but the negotiations appear to be dragging on somewhat – indicating some potential issues behind-closed-doors.
News of Gyokeres being very keen on a move to N5 in his stead comes as a welcome boost for Arsenal, though, with their striker search shaping up to be one of the major stories of the summer.
