The five major summer Arsenal transfer deals already in the pipeline - including bid for £50m Liverpool target

The five transfer deals that Arsenal are closest to completing ahead of the summer window.

Arsenal’s rotten luck with injuries may have provided an entirely valid excuse for their failure to keep tabs with Liverpool in a title race that ultimately wasn’t – but it also exposed serious issues with depth in key areas and demonstrated that quite a lot of work in the summer transfer market will be necessary if the Gunners are to finally win their first title in over two decades.

As is always the case with the biggest teams, the rumour mill has been buzzing ceaselessly with stories connecting them with dozens of different players, and most of the reports will, inevitably, prove to be entirely untrue. Several deals do seem to be firmly in the pipeline, however, so we’ve rounded up our best insight into the deals that are likeliest to get done in the next transfer window.

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With a new sporting director, Andrea Berta, now in post after the departure of Edu Gaspar, much may change after the new broom gets his feet under the desk, but hopefully this offers some insight into Arsenal’s process over the coming window and helps to paint a picture of what their squad could look like next summer.

Viktor Gyökeres becoming Arsenal’s top striker target

Arsenal probably should have made more effort to sign a striker last summer and ended up making a highly optimistic offer for Ollie Watkins, so we know that a new number nine is priority number one this summer – but the list of potential targets is a long one.

It seems as though their preferred signings would be Watkins or Newcastle’s Alexander Isak, but neither seems remotely likely unless the Gunners spend an extraordinary sum – and the ebb and flow of current rumours hints that Sporting striker Viktor Gyökeres has probably moved to top spot on a fairly lengthy shortlist.

Reports suggest that Gyökeres is liable to be available for around £55-60m due to a verbal agreement with his club which would see him leave for rather less than his €100m release clause, and that has encouraged Arsenal to look more closely at a player who has been free-scoring in Portugal and continental competition.

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There will be competition for the Swedish international, however, so it’s entirely possible that Gyökeres ends up elsewhere and Arsenal have to turn to the back-up options. Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Šeško are certainly under consideration.

Another attacking player firmly on the club’s radar is Athletic Club and Spain winger Nico Williams. Left wing isn’t necessarily a major priority, so signing the flying wide forward may depend on how much the club need to spend in other positions, but it’s believed that Arsenal are having serious conversations about a player who has a release clause worth just over £50m, and some reports say that Berta has already spoken to Williams’ representatives.

That would have to be paid in full with Athletic unlikely to enter into any negotiation over the fee, and there may be some competition from Chelsea, but Barcelona, who had been very keen last year, seem to be out of contention. Insiders seem to put Arsenal ahead in the race as it stands and the interest certainly exists.

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Will Arsenal sign Martín Zubimendi this summer?

It was widely reported in January that Arsenal had reached an agreement, in principle at least, to sign Real Sociedad midfielder Martín Zubimendi (who had been a major target for Liverpool before he snubbed them at the eleventh hour last summer) for a fee of around £50m – but there’s some doubt over whether that will definitely happen.

Arsenal still want the Spain international to go alongside his former Sociedad team-mate Mikel Merino, but late interest from Real Madrid could derail the process. It seems as though Real’s interest may be predicated on the departure of Aurelién Tchouaméni, who has a frustrating time at the Bernabeu, but a deal that looked very likely to happen could now be in significant doubt. Still, Arsenal haven’t changed their mind about signing him if they can.

Regardless of whether Zubimendi signs or not, it’s expected that Arsenal will continue to pursue their interest in Rosenborg’s gifted young midfielder Sverre Nypan. It’s been claimed in some corners that the Gunners have already agreed personal terms with the 18-year-old, who would offer depth in midfield to start with.

Elsewhere, there are two positions in which we can expect to see a new face or two. The first is in goal, where Mikel Arteta wants a new back-up to David Raya – Espanyol goalkeeper Joan García is the clear favourite, although Barcelona are also interested in a stopper worth a reported £13m. It isn’t yet abundantly clear whether García will be happy to step into a back-up role, although a wage increase would probably help to encourage him.

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The final position we can expect to see reinforcements in is the defence. Arsenal have been linked with a slew of centre-halves, which may be slightly surprising given that between William Saliba, Gabriel, Jurriën Timber and Riccardo Calafiori there are already strong options in the squad.

A more versatile player like Jorrel Hato, who can play across the back line, may be the preference, but Arsenal have been linked with a great number of players in that role. As it stands, it simply isn’t clear which defenders they might be actively pursuing, and it may be that they are simply working on back-up plans should Real Madrid follow up their long-standing interest in Saliba.

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