Arsenal report: Two stars are confirmed as leaving, with another 12 at risk in ruthless clearout
Arsenal could let go of 14 stars this summer, with two already confirmed for the Emirates Stadium exit door.
The Gunners look set to finish seven points behind Manchester City this season, having lost to their title rivals twice after leading the Premier League for much of the season. If they win their final two games, however, Arsenal have finished 18 points clear of where they were 12 months ago.
But that isn’t enough for manager Mikel Arteta, who is already eyeing improvements for his side, including Declan Rice in a deal that could be worth £100 million. There could be a huge rebuild at London Colney, however, with a dozen stars exiting.
Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano (opens in new tab) has confirmed that Bayer Leverkusen are in advanced talks for Granit Xhaka but Arsenal have already let two stars leave already this summer.
Pablo Mari was on loan at Monza but his temporary move had a clause that would enable the Serie A club to purchase him, should they stay up – which they have now achieved. Ainsley Maitland-Niles, meanwhile, has confirmed he’s leaving for a “fresh start” (opens in new tab) after two decades on the club’s books as man and boy.
Incredibly, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Cedric Soares, Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Auston Trusty and club record signing, Nicolas Pepe, are all on loan right now and expected to depart permanently this summer. Academy graduates Charlie Patino and Folarin Balogun also want permanent moves following loan moves.
Another two Hale Enders could depart. Reiss Nelson has rejected two contracts, as per The Mail (opens in new tab), while Emile Smith Rowe has endured a season on the sidelines and make seek more game time elsewhere.
Kieran Tierney is expected to leave, too, with Newcastle United confident of securing the Scot (opens in new tab), with Arsenal said to be interested in Joao Cancelo as his replacement.
These twelve stars have a combined Transfermarkt (opens in new tab) value of €200m.
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Arsenal are ready for a huge summer, with their wage structure set to loosen in the advent of reaching the Champions League once more. Declan Rice remains the priority target.
Five first-teamers are expected, with RB Leipzig defender Mohamed Simakin, Real Madrid star Ferland Mendy, former academy graduate Yunus Musah and two more Manchester City stars all rumoured. Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace, Aurelien Tchouameni of Real Madrid and N’Golo Kante of Chelsea have all been linked.
Three more contracts for existing Gunners could also be tied up in the coming weeks.
