Arsenal plans to make a £100 million profit from the sale of nine players before the transfer deadline.
This summer, Arsenal are conducting a fire sale of players in an attempt to raise £100 million in transfer fees to help balance their books.
The Gunners have once again overspent in the transfer market, spending over £200 million to acquire West Ham captain Declan Rice, defender Jurrien Timber from Ajax, midfielder Kai Havertz from Chelsea, and goalkeeper David Raya on loan from Brentford.
To date, however, minimal funds have been raised from donations. Granit Xhaka’s sale to Bayer Leverkusen for £12 million was the most notable exit, while Matt Turner, Aaron Trusty, and Pablo Mari moved on for modest fees.
The transfer window closes on 1 September, and Arsenal are concerned that they will need to raise additional funds in the final week of the window to help balance the books and reduce the size of their bloated first-team squad, which includes numerous fringe players with little chance of regular playing time.
Left-backs Kieran Tierney and Folarin Balogun are two players whose exits appear to be closing soon. Tierney is set to join Real Sociedad on a season-long loan without an option to purchase, while Balogun is expected to transfer to Monaco.
Balogun spent last season on loan from Arsenal with Stade Reims in France, where he scored 21 Ligue 1 goals in 37 appearances. He is eager to play first-team football this season. Any compensation received for the gifted forward is likely to be substantial.
However, the Gunners are also seeking a replacement for Timber, who has sustained a long-term injury, and for Financial Fair Play reasons, the club must consider a number of additional transactions before adding to its roster.
Gabriel Magalhaes, who started all 38 Premier League games for the club last season, was left off the lineups for the opening victories against Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, raising questions about his future. Saudi Arabia is interested in the Brazilian, and Real Madrid, who lost Eder Militao to a long-term injury, is monitoring his situation.
Takehiro Tomiyasu’s future is uncertain due to Crystal Palace’s interest this summer, but the injury to Timber and doubts over the futures of other defenders mean that the Japanese international is unlikely to be transferred this summer – despite ironically receiving a red card against Palace.
Albert Sambi Lokonga, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Palace, is expected to leave the club this week, with Brighton among the clubs interested in the midfielder.
Arsenal intends to release Nicolas Pepe from his contract if they are unable to secure a transfer compensation for him this summer. The Ivorian spent last year on loan at Nice, where he scored eight goals in 28 appearances. In the second half of the season, however, he endured knee injuries and played in only 19 Ligue 1 matches.
Pepe was recruited by the Gunners in the summer of 2019 for £72 million, a club record transfer fee prior to the arrival of Declan Rice this summer, and he has just one year remaining on his contract. He scored 27 goals in three seasons before leaving on loan last summer.
Rob Holding is attracting interest from Turkish Super Lig club Besiktas, while Cedric Soares – back from a loan at Fulham – is also surplus to requirements. Nuno Tavares, who spent last season on loan at Marseille, is attracting interest from Premier League clubs, with Aston Villa weighing a move to replace Lucas Digne.
Arsenal plans to make a £100 million profit from the sale of nine players before the transfer deadline.