Each summer Arsenal are linked with a large number of different players...
Of course the majority of 'transfer rumours' are made up, either by agents seeking better deals or from newspapers and websites trying to fill column inches.
But who doesn't love a transfer rumour?
So here at the Clock End Talk Blog, we aim to put all those transfer rumours, no matter how ridiculous all in one handy place, whilst also rating their probability.
The transfer rumours will be updated throughout the transfer window which closes on Thursday 8th of August.
All updates brought to you by Dave Squires - @davefalconUK
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Since the arrival of Nicolas Pepe the media are no longer running with the £45m budget story, I can't believe that they went along with that for so long.
As widely reported Arsenal have now turned their attention to strengthening the defence as the deadline rapidly approaches.
Dayot Upamecano - RB Leipzig
German newspaper Bild, yesterday (Monday) stated that Arsenal had a bid of £55m rejected for the 20 year old central defender. The bid was believed to have been made at some time over the weekend however, a conflicting report suggested that although there is interest a formal bid has not yet been made.
Upamecano has a buy out clause of €100m (approx £92m) but it was also claimed that a bid of £70m would be enough to secure the player. Again, another report from Germany suggests that Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann sees Upamecano as an important player for the new season and does not want to sell.
With all that in mind and time running out this will be a difficult one to pull off.
Daniele Rugani - Juventus
Arsenal have reportedly already had a loan bid turned down for the player by Juventus who prefer to sell with the price believed to be £50m. Italian journalist @AlfredoPedulla tweeted that Rugani's agent and Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici arrived in London on Monday night. Wolves are also rumored to be interested in the player who according to reports prefers Arsenal.
Keiran Tierney - Celtic
According to our good friend David Ornstein, Arsenal still hold interest in the Celtic left back. This is a claim backed up by French journalist, @FrancoisLuis0, who tweeted the following on Tuesday morning:
Told that Kieran Tierney deal to Arsenal is going to happen.
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With the Nicolas Pepe deal now complete it appears that Arsenal have turned their attention to much needed defensive reinforcements.
The Kieran Tierney saga rolls on, and the rumours continue to gather. Sky Sports claim that if the Gunners were to offer £22.5m plus add on's then Celtic would accept this offer. Both Sky and the Scottish Sun newspaper have stated they fully expect Arsenal to come back with a third and probably final offer for Tierney and both expect the deal to get done before Thursday's deadline.
With the sale of Krystian Bielik to Derby for close to £10m this would certainly appear to help fund the arrival of a player they have been trailing for some time now.
Italian newspaper, Gazettta Dello Sport have reported that Juventus have turned down Arsenal’s approach for centre back Danielle Rugani due to the current injury to fellow defender Giorgio Chellini.
The report states that the London club offered a 2 year loan deal. Rugani is thought to be happy to stay in Turin and work with Maurizio Sarri, who was his coach at Empoli several years ago. In another twist Arsenal were willing to take Sami Khedira on a free transfer as part of the deal. Juventus are keen to off load the German due to his reported high wages.
Perhaps the strangest rumour for a while, although one that has no apparent source, is that of Barcelona forward Philippe Coutinho. Spanish newspaper Sport, that have close links to Barcelona, claimed that an 'un-named' Premier league club, (yep, that old chestnut!) have offered to take the player on loan.
The article mentions both Manchester clubs as having previous interest and of course Liverpool's name comes up elsewhere. As it stands I can't find a single source claiming that Arsenal are in anyway interested in the player.
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Nicolas Pepe - Lille £72m (€80m)
It would appear that Arsenal are edging closer to breaking their transfer record for 24 year old Lille winger, Nicholas Pepe. Interesting that Pepe was in the same Ivory Coast squad as Wilfred Zaha and the recent Africa Cup of Nations.
The Nicholas Pepe timeline of main news:
7th May: France Football reports that Arsenal have made an enquiry for Pepe but deemed the price to be too high.
6th July: Lille president Gérard Lopez confirms that the club are in talks with Liverpool.
10th July: Lopez confirms that 4 clubs have made serious bids for the player. The clubs are believed to be Liverpool, Arsenal, Napoli and PSG.
14th July: French broadcaster TF1 claim Arsenal have bid €80m (£72m) for Pepe.
19th July: Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis who had previously confirmed interest in the player confirms that talks are underway.
21st July: Yahoo Sport France are the first to report that Manchester United have had a bid of £70m rejected. Several days later United state that Pepe was never a target.
25th July: Pepe's agent Samir Khiat arrives in Naples to finalise the transfer of Pepe to Napoli as reported on Sky Sports via Sky Italy.
26th July: French newspaper L'Equipe claim that Lille have accepted bids of €80m from 4 different clubs one of which being Arsenal. Napoli are definitely one of the other clubs, Liverpool and Inter Milan are rumoured to be the other two.
27th July: Rumours circulate from several different sources in Italy and France that Arsenal have reached an agreement with Lille and Pepe has chosen Arsenal over Napoli. This is confirmed shortly after by David Ornstein (BBC Sport)
28th July: Italian journalist Ciro Venerato who works for Italian TV station Rai Sport, claims that Pepe to Arsenal is agreed and that the player will head to London for a medical towards the end of next week (week commencing 29th July).
He also states that Pepe will sign a 5 year contract that will include a $10m signing bonus. The overall price will be €80m paid in installments (like almost every other transfer ever made!) and with an additional €10m in bonuses the total could be as high as €90m, an offer which as Venerato puts it, Napoli cannot match.
28th July: Sky Sports state that PSG have also had a bid accepted are still in the race even at this apparent late stage.
28th July: Ivory Coast's Sport Mania.ci post the following :
Information that we can confirm after exchanging with one of the player's relatives. "After dismissing several clubs, Nicolas (Pepe) had the choice between Naples and Arsenal. I will not lie to you: a total agreement was almost reached with Naples. But Arsenal has been more convincing at the last word, both financially and at the level of the sports project , "he says. In fact, Arsenal made the decision thanks to the consistent salary (8 million euros) offered to Pepe. Where Naples had "only" 6 million euros.
Arsenal fans everywhere will have their fingers crossed as they know more than anyone that a deal is never done until you see the player holding up the famous red shirt.
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Deals getting close?
The transfer window closes in just under 3 weeks and things have been moving very slowly, much to the annoyance of Arsenal fans everywhere. But as the clock begins to tick down the deals appear to be getting closer. Let's take a look at the 5 names that are currently dominating the Arsenal transfer rumours.
William Saliba: It was reported late on Thursday by RMC Sport's chief football editor @mohamedbouhafsi that an agreement had finally been made between Arsenal and St Etienne for central defender, Saliba. The player will officially sign for the club on Tuesday and will be loaned back to the French club for the forthcoming season. The fee is £25 million with an additional £5m in add ons. The initial up front payment is believed to be small. All this information has since been confirmed by Sky Sports.
Dani Ceballos: Sky Sports are reporting that a one year loan deal with an option to buy in the Summer of 2020 is very close to completion. It was believed that the deal was awaiting the approval of Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane but it appears that he has now approved of the deal.
It is believed that Arsenal will pay a loan fee and the players full wages. Arsenal play Madrid on Tuesday evening in Washington, so perhaps we can expect a conclusion after this.
Keiran Tierney: Both Sky Sports and the Daily Mail are reporting that Arsenal are still in talks to sign the Celtic left back. Arsenal will need to improve on the last bid of £18m plus £7m in add ons.
Wilfred Zaha: Zaha has now told Crystal Palace that he would like to leave in this transfer window. Sky Sports reported that Palace told Arsenal to be more creative with their next offer for Zaha. Palace are believed to have interest in right back Carl Jenkinson so he could be used as a makeweight in any potential deal.
This deal may currently be a long way off but it may not be completely dead either. Palace have also indicated to Arsenal that if they were to sell their star player then they would themselves, need sufficient time to find a replacement.
Everton Soares: Fox Sports reported several days ago that Arsenal were sending a medical doctor to Brazil in order to perform a medical on the Gremio winger. This report seems a little wide of the mark. Sky Sports have since reported that Arsenal will turn to Soares only if a deal for Zaha cannot be done.
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Update & new rumours
Panic over, Kieran Tierney is alive and well. Unfortunately he is still a Celtic player despite Arsenal meeting the £25m valuation in a roundabout sort of way. Here is David Ornstein's tweet:
Arsenal’s latest bid was submitted to Celtic on Friday and Kieran Tierney is keen for the move to happen. It is complicated by the breakdown and nature of the instalments Arsenal are proposing - but there remains optimism that the transfer will be completed #AFC #CelticFC
How very Arsenal!! Onto some new rumours..
Everton Soares - £36m - Gremio
Source - Radio Grenal (Brazil)
After some outstanding performances at the Copa America the Brazilian winger Soares has apparently come to the attention of both Arsenal and Athletico Madrid. Brazilian sports radio station, Radio Grenal has stated the following:
According to radio communicator Grenal, Darci Filho, a member of the Arsenal medical committee is expected to come to the capital of Rio Grande do Sul later this week to conduct medical examinations on the attacker. This is a common procedure during the transactions of players, especially when the business is close to being closed.
Probability 60%
Dani Alves - Free agent
Source AS (Spain)
It is an easy connection to make since Emery coached Alves at PSG and the player is also available for free as he has left PSG. Spanish newspaper AS claim that Emery has urged the Arsenal board to make Alves a contract offer.
French journalist, Alvaro Levrero also thinks that the Brazilian full back to Arsenal is on the cards, he tweeted:
Free Agent #DaniAlves would be #Gunner shortly. As @Arsenal realised swiss #StefanLichtsteiner, #Unai needs a strong option to start #Premier in right back position until #Bellerin's plenty recovering. Despite his age the #Brazilian form is more than excellent.
Probability 45%
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Update & Thoughts
It appears that Arsenal's incompetence holds no bounds. In a recent article posted on Football London an insider claimed that Arsenal’s current transfer plan has 'no strategy'. News that will come as no surprise to anyone, least of all us Gooners. While teams like Leicester have spent £70m+, Arsenal are still claiming to be skint, it's embarrassing for a club that used to hold the nickname 'The Bank of England'. In other news it appears that Kieran Tierney has disappeared of the face of the Earth.
Still, with all that said the rumours persist although again it would come as no surprise to anyone if Arsenal didn't sign a single player over the next 3 and a half weeks.
One name that has been circulating for a week or so is Real Madrid midfielder, Dani Ceballos. Madrid are believed to looking to loan the player out for up to 2 years, something that would suit Arsenal given their current state.
Sky Sports' Dharmeah Sheth believes Arsenal have moved ahead of North London rivals Spurs in the chase for Ceballos, reporting:
Update & Thoughts
After the embarrassing £40m Wilfred Zaha bid, things have gone quiet on the Palace winger although I'm sure we'll be talking about him again soon.
As for Kieran Tierney, lots of so called 'In the knows' are claiming the deal is done although not one credible media outlet is currently reporting this. Like Zaha, I'm sure we'll back mentioning his name again very soon.
Before we get onto some new names to be linked with the Arsenal, let's update on Willian Saliba. Le 10 Sport from France are claiming that the deal is now in the final stages of negotiation, so again I'm sure we will be hearing more about this player in the next week. Although with the people Arsenal have negotiating it could take years!
*New names linked*
The most exciting of the three new names we have today is that of midfielder, Nabil Fekir of Lyon. With the player entering the final year of his contract and it appears he has no intention of signing a new one, Lyon are apparently looking to cash in rather than lose him for nothing.
The Daily Mirror claim that the French club have offered Arsenal Fekir for £30m, remember Fekir almost signed for Liverpool last summer for twice that amount until the deal fell through because of a failed medical.
French newspaper L'Equipe are running a similar story. They claim Arsenal have made an enquiry but also state the deal hinges on the departure of Mesut Ozil.
Italian newspaper Gazzetta Dello Sport report that as many as six clubs including the Gunners are chasing Bologna's Erik Pulgar.
Midfielder Pulgar has been impressing with Chile at the Copa America and currently has a €12m buyout clause. So a player that at least fits the rumoured budget.
Talking of players that fit the budget and we are onto Hull City striker Jarrod Bowen, with The Sun claiming that Arsenal have been watching the 22 year old since January. Bowen scored 22 times for Hull last season and is believed to be valued by the Tigers at around £15m.
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1st July 17.45
Breaking news.... Sky Sports understands that Arsenal have bid £40m for Wilfred Zaha.
The only logical explanation to this, seeing as Palace want £80m, is to unsettle the player and hopefully force the move through. I mean, the powers that be actually sat down and discussed this bid knowing full well it would get laughed at.
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Update & Thoughts
There are really only 2 significant names doing the rounds at the moment with one potentially coming to a positive close.
Reports in the last 24 hours claim that Arsenal and Celtic are very close to reaching an agreement. Reports coming out of Scotland suggest that Arsenal have (will) bid £20m or £21m with an additional £5m-£6m made up from add ons. One report is still suggesting that Carl Jenkinson could be part of the deal.
Another report has stated that Tierney has left Celtic's training camp in Austria in order to complete the transfer. Another report has confirmed that Tierney has in fact returned to Scotland but this relates to Tierney's rehabilitation and is not connected to any potential transfer.
It certainly does feel like this transfer could be close.
The second rumoured transfer seems far less likely, Wilfred Zaha. There are several different factors in play here. Firstly, it is well documented that Manchester United will receive 20% or even 25% of any sell on fee Palace receive for the player.
It is rumoured that the South Londoners value the player at £60m but they will need to sell for £80m in order for them to receive their desired amount. However, today Palace are rumoured to have placed a £100m price tag on the winger.
It has also been stated that Palace will not sell Zaha at all, as chairman Steve Parish fears it will damage any hope for the takeover that he is currently seeking.
As for the player himself, it has been rumoured that he has asked to be sold to Arsenal as he is keen to progress but also wants to stay in London.
As I've stated many times before on here and on Twitter, if Arsenal only had a £40m transfer bugdet they wouldn't even be wasting a phone call or the paper in the fax machine on Zaha. That said if Arsenal are actually going to pull this deal off they are going to need to do some seriously good negotiating.
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Update & Thoughts
We have four names linked with Arsenal today, two we've heard before and two new ones.
Let's start with a player that hasn't really gone away, William Saliba of St Etienne. The French TV channel and website RMC Sport are reporting that the deal is progressing and that the player has already agreed to a five year contract with Arsenal.
RMC Sport claim that the Gunners have agreed to the £27m asking price. They also state that Arsenal have agreed to loan the player back for next season, something that goes against all other reports we've heard on this particular deal.
Onto another central defender, Torino's Armando Izzo. A report from Italian journalist, Gianluca Di Marzio claims that Arsenal are preparing a bid of around £22m for the Italian. However a separate report claims that Torino president has stated that the player will not be sold in this current transfer window.
Several websites have claimed that Arsenal have an interest in Red Bull Salzburg's 18 year old midfielder, Dominik Szoboszlai with the price ranging from £9m to £18m depending on which website you read. Although this seems like an Arsenal sort of a transfer no credible source has picked it up as of yet, so make of that what you will.
Lastly we are back to Celtic's Kieran Tierney. The Guardian newspaper have reported that Arsenal are hopeful that a bid of £18m will be enough to secure the left back despite the Scottish champions wanting £25m. The broadsheet also states that daily talks between the clubs are ongoing.
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Keiran Tierney - Celtic - £25m
Source - The Scottish Sun
Arsenal have been linked with the Scottish left back for several weeks, but it appears that they have made their interest formal. But Arsenal being Arsenal have tried gone in with a bid way under the asking price. The Scottish Sun states:
Probability 70%
William Saliba - St Etienne £25m
Source - L'Equipe & The Evening Standard
A player that Arsenal have been linked with for several weeks, Saliba is currently at the forefront of the Gunners transfer rumours.
French sports paper L'Equipe claim that a 5 year deal between club and player has been agreed. However a report in the Evening Standard contradicts that claim, stating:
Reports in France suggest Arsenal have already reached a contract agreement with Saliba but it is thought the deal is not in fact that far advanced.
This deal also hinges on Arsenal loaning the player back to St Etienne for next season. If this deal goes through with that demand in place then it puts an enormous whole in the Arsenal 'only have £40m to spend' theory.
Two other players linked with Arsenal today are also from France and again like Saliba one has been linked before. Alexis Claude-Maurice, a former teammate of Matteo Guendouzi at Lorient has once more been associated with a move to the Emirates.
Probability 70%
Get French Football News' claim that Arsenal have had a second bid of €16m (£14m) rejected and Lorient are holding out for €20m (£18m). It was also suggested that the French club are hoping and expecting a bidding war as Sky Sports have stated that there are around 10 different clubs interested in the forward who scored 14 goals in 35 appearances last season.
The third name doing the rounds today is PSG defender, Presnel Kimpembe.
French news-site Soccer Link are reporting that the Gunners “came into contact with the player’s father to find out if a transfer is possible”. The website also claim he is eager to stay at PSG even if the French Champions sign Matthijs De Ligt from Ajax.
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Another day brings about more, and I use this term loosely, transfer rumours. If you've been keeping up to date with this particular page then you will be aware that as of yet even the transfers rumours that have been associated with the Gunners have been questionable at best. That said, the first of today's names does appear quite likely.
Markus Schubert - Dynamo Dresden £650,000
Source - The Independent
Probability 85%
Let’s start with the positive and although not a household name by any means it seems that the young German goalkeeper, Markus Schubert comes highly recommended. Although touted as a free transfer if Arsenal complete the deal they would have to pay a fee of around £650,000 which in the current market is as close to free as it's going to get.
This is what the Independent had to say:
Much like Carrasco, links between Arsenal and Ivan Perisic have re-surfaced due to the reported interest in the player back in January. This report also comes from Italy (as it seems do all Arsenal transfer stories at the moment) with FC Inter news also stating that Wolves and Leicester are interested.
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Update & thoughts:
Although the transfer window has only recently opened, (the International window opened today 11th of June) Arsenal fans wait impatiently for the club's first peice of transfer business. Although the rumours and tenuous links persist it's interesting and perhaps disappointing to note that the English media are not reporting heavily on the Gunners current transfer targets.
Let's start with the one player that the English media did openly report on, Bournemouth's Ryan Fraser. It had all gone quiet on this front since it was reported that the Cherries wanted £40m for the winger. The 'believe it if you want' story is that Fraser has told teammates that he wants to move to Arsenal and somehow in all of this the price has halved to £20m?? This all according to the website football insider.
Moving on to what seems at present the most likely signing, Yannick Carrasco. The thing worth noting about this story is that there is a lot of speculation based on Arsenal's previous interest and therefore there are a lot of recycled quotes and a certain degree of guesswork.
It seems reports, all from abroad suggest that Arsenal want to loan the Belgium winger with an option to buy next summer. This request has apparently been denied by his club. This particular story sounds somewhat familiar.
Onto those more tenuous links that have no real source and are based on 'could be's' or 'should be's' !!
The most interesting of these is Celtic left back Keiran Tierney. Despite no concerete link to the player, his odds of joining Arsenal were slashed from 8/1 to 4/6 overnight and haven't budged since. Where have the bookies got thier information from?
The last two players are both plying their trade in Italy. Firstly, former Aston Villa flop Jordan Veretout currently with Fiorentina has been linked to Arsenal via his agent and absolutely nobody else!! Napoli are rumoured to be interested but it appears that the name Arsenal is being used to get the player a better deal.
The final name on the list of woefully underwhelming players is that of Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini. According to @NicoSchira (again) the player is being offered to both Arsenal and Spurs for £30m of which can be paid in two £15m installments.
UPDATE: Dennis Praet (pictured) & Joachim Anderson - Sampdoria £44m
Source - Nico Schira for Gazetta Dello Sport (Italy)
@NicoSchira tweeted:
Tonight (Friday) #Arsenal have sent a new offer to #Sampdoria for Joaquim #Andersen and Dennis #Praet: €48M for both. Steps forward for finalize the deal, even if Ferrero wants more.
It has been stated from the same source that the asking price for the two players is €50m (£44m) and that the Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero will sell at the full asking price. However a conflicting report suggests that the Italian club want to wait until their managerial situation has been sorted out before doing business.
Current manager Marco Giampaolo's appears to be on his way to AC Milan. Now, although this makes total sense, if this was in fact the case then why is Ferrero even discussing figures with Arsenal?
Probability 75%
Yannick Carrasco - Dalian Yifang £26m
Source - Diario Sport (Spain) & Nico Schira (Italian Journalist)
Several days ago Carrasco was talking about coming to the Premier league and stated that he'd had an offer from an in-named English club. Since Arsenal attempted to bring in the player back in January the obvious link was made but now it appears that this story may actually have some legs to it. Gazzetta Dello Sport journalist Nico Schira was first to claim that Arsenal were the 'mystery' club, this has since been backed up by several Spanish media outlets and therefore it is difficult to gage the validity of the whole thing.
@NicoSchira tweeted:
#Carrasco wants to return in Europe from Cina and go to #EPL. #Arsenal are in advanced talks to sign him from #DalianYifang. He was courted by #Gunners last January, but #Emery opted to sign Denis Suarez on loan, because chinese asked €30M.
Ozan Kabak - Stuttgart £13m
Source - Daily Mail
Although the defender only signed for Stuttgart in January from Galatassary, the German clubs relegation has prompted his availability. The player has also attracted rumoured interest from Manchester United and Spurs but Arsenal are also in the hunt. After the club’s relegation from the Bundesliga was confirmed, they (Arsenal) rekindled their interest in the 19-year-old, according to the Daily Mail.
Probability 50%
Samuel Umititi - Barcelona £53m
Source - Daily Star
This particular rumour started with several weeks of the season left but without Champions League football it seems less likely than it did in the first place. A report published on the 4th of June appears to make this transfer story totally redundant. The Daily Star claim Umtiti has asked Barcelona to ignore offers for his services, insisting he wants to stay in Spain with the La Liga champions.
Probability 10%
Ryan Fraser - Bournemouth £20-£30m
Source - The Independent
This rumour has been knocking around for several weeks now with the Independent claiming that Arsenal would start talks after the Europa League Final. However according to a report in the Bournemouth Echo dated the 4th of June, Arsenal have made no progress in their attempts to sign Fraser.
Probability 65%
James Maddison - Leicester City £60m
Source - Daily Mail
According to the Mail Arsenal made an enquiry to the availability of Maddison and were in return quoted the asking price of £60m. The Daily Mail say, though, that the Gunners have been left reeling by Leicester’s response.
Probability 20%
Willian Saliba - Saint Etienne £25m
Source - LE 10 SPORT
This proposed transfer seemed a real possibility about a week ago but the rumour has disappeared as quickly as it arrived. Last week the French publication, LE 10 SPORT said Unai Emery who is currently in pole position to secure the services of the defender.
Probability 50%
Dennis Praet (pictured) & Joachim Anderson - Sampdoria £37m
Source - Tuttosport
According to Italian newspaper Tuttosport, Arsenal have had a £37m joint bid turned down for midfielder Praet and defender Anderson. However it may not all be bad news with the paper claiming that Sampdoria will sell the pair for £44m. Buying two players from the same club at the same time is very difficult and therefore extremely rare. Arsenal may decide to go back for one of the two players later on in the window.
Probability 30%
Thomas Munier - PSG £25m
Source - France Football
At the end of May it was reported that Arsenal and Manchester United were to do battle for the Belgium right back however a report in the Daily Mirror on June 4th may have killed any speculation surrounding the player. The Belgian told Dutch broadcasters VTM Nieuws, he said: "I want to stay. We have been talking about a contract extension for a while, but there's no offer on the table anymore. I'm ready to stay in Paris. Everybody knows."
Probability 25%
Gabriel Martinelli - Ituano (Brazil) £6m
Source - Football London
The most Arsenal of Arsenal transfers, a promising young striker who isn't actually expected to be involved in the first team squad straight away. According to the reliable Layth Yousif at Football London, Arsenal have virtually got this deal done with the report claiming: Arsenal are set to unveil the signing of Martinelli once he turns 18 later this month.
Probability 95%
But who doesn't love a transfer rumour?
So here at the Clock End Talk Blog, we aim to put all those transfer rumours, no matter how ridiculous all in one handy place, whilst also rating their probability.
The transfer rumours will be updated throughout the transfer window which closes on Thursday 8th of August.
All updates brought to you by Dave Squires - @davefalconUK
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Since the arrival of Nicolas Pepe the media are no longer running with the £45m budget story, I can't believe that they went along with that for so long.
As widely reported Arsenal have now turned their attention to strengthening the defence as the deadline rapidly approaches.
Dayot Upamecano - RB Leipzig
German newspaper Bild, yesterday (Monday) stated that Arsenal had a bid of £55m rejected for the 20 year old central defender. The bid was believed to have been made at some time over the weekend however, a conflicting report suggested that although there is interest a formal bid has not yet been made.
Upamecano has a buy out clause of €100m (approx £92m) but it was also claimed that a bid of £70m would be enough to secure the player. Again, another report from Germany suggests that Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann sees Upamecano as an important player for the new season and does not want to sell.
With all that in mind and time running out this will be a difficult one to pull off.
Daniele Rugani - Juventus
Arsenal have reportedly already had a loan bid turned down for the player by Juventus who prefer to sell with the price believed to be £50m. Italian journalist @AlfredoPedulla tweeted that Rugani's agent and Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici arrived in London on Monday night. Wolves are also rumored to be interested in the player who according to reports prefers Arsenal.
Keiran Tierney - Celtic
According to our good friend David Ornstein, Arsenal still hold interest in the Celtic left back. This is a claim backed up by French journalist, @FrancoisLuis0, who tweeted the following on Tuesday morning:
Told that Kieran Tierney deal to Arsenal is going to happen.
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With the Nicolas Pepe deal now complete it appears that Arsenal have turned their attention to much needed defensive reinforcements.
The Kieran Tierney saga rolls on, and the rumours continue to gather. Sky Sports claim that if the Gunners were to offer £22.5m plus add on's then Celtic would accept this offer. Both Sky and the Scottish Sun newspaper have stated they fully expect Arsenal to come back with a third and probably final offer for Tierney and both expect the deal to get done before Thursday's deadline.
With the sale of Krystian Bielik to Derby for close to £10m this would certainly appear to help fund the arrival of a player they have been trailing for some time now.
Italian newspaper, Gazettta Dello Sport have reported that Juventus have turned down Arsenal’s approach for centre back Danielle Rugani due to the current injury to fellow defender Giorgio Chellini.
The report states that the London club offered a 2 year loan deal. Rugani is thought to be happy to stay in Turin and work with Maurizio Sarri, who was his coach at Empoli several years ago. In another twist Arsenal were willing to take Sami Khedira on a free transfer as part of the deal. Juventus are keen to off load the German due to his reported high wages.
Perhaps the strangest rumour for a while, although one that has no apparent source, is that of Barcelona forward Philippe Coutinho. Spanish newspaper Sport, that have close links to Barcelona, claimed that an 'un-named' Premier league club, (yep, that old chestnut!) have offered to take the player on loan.
The article mentions both Manchester clubs as having previous interest and of course Liverpool's name comes up elsewhere. As it stands I can't find a single source claiming that Arsenal are in anyway interested in the player.
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Nicolas Pepe - Lille £72m (€80m)
It would appear that Arsenal are edging closer to breaking their transfer record for 24 year old Lille winger, Nicholas Pepe. Interesting that Pepe was in the same Ivory Coast squad as Wilfred Zaha and the recent Africa Cup of Nations.
The Nicholas Pepe timeline of main news:
7th May: France Football reports that Arsenal have made an enquiry for Pepe but deemed the price to be too high.
6th July: Lille president Gérard Lopez confirms that the club are in talks with Liverpool.
10th July: Lopez confirms that 4 clubs have made serious bids for the player. The clubs are believed to be Liverpool, Arsenal, Napoli and PSG.
14th July: French broadcaster TF1 claim Arsenal have bid €80m (£72m) for Pepe.
19th July: Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis who had previously confirmed interest in the player confirms that talks are underway.
21st July: Yahoo Sport France are the first to report that Manchester United have had a bid of £70m rejected. Several days later United state that Pepe was never a target.
25th July: Pepe's agent Samir Khiat arrives in Naples to finalise the transfer of Pepe to Napoli as reported on Sky Sports via Sky Italy.
26th July: French newspaper L'Equipe claim that Lille have accepted bids of €80m from 4 different clubs one of which being Arsenal. Napoli are definitely one of the other clubs, Liverpool and Inter Milan are rumoured to be the other two.
27th July: Rumours circulate from several different sources in Italy and France that Arsenal have reached an agreement with Lille and Pepe has chosen Arsenal over Napoli. This is confirmed shortly after by David Ornstein (BBC Sport)
28th July: Italian journalist Ciro Venerato who works for Italian TV station Rai Sport, claims that Pepe to Arsenal is agreed and that the player will head to London for a medical towards the end of next week (week commencing 29th July).
He also states that Pepe will sign a 5 year contract that will include a $10m signing bonus. The overall price will be €80m paid in installments (like almost every other transfer ever made!) and with an additional €10m in bonuses the total could be as high as €90m, an offer which as Venerato puts it, Napoli cannot match.
28th July: Sky Sports state that PSG have also had a bid accepted are still in the race even at this apparent late stage.
28th July: Ivory Coast's Sport Mania.ci post the following :
Information that we can confirm after exchanging with one of the player's relatives. "After dismissing several clubs, Nicolas (Pepe) had the choice between Naples and Arsenal. I will not lie to you: a total agreement was almost reached with Naples. But Arsenal has been more convincing at the last word, both financially and at the level of the sports project , "he says. In fact, Arsenal made the decision thanks to the consistent salary (8 million euros) offered to Pepe. Where Naples had "only" 6 million euros.
Arsenal fans everywhere will have their fingers crossed as they know more than anyone that a deal is never done until you see the player holding up the famous red shirt.
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Deals getting close?
The transfer window closes in just under 3 weeks and things have been moving very slowly, much to the annoyance of Arsenal fans everywhere. But as the clock begins to tick down the deals appear to be getting closer. Let's take a look at the 5 names that are currently dominating the Arsenal transfer rumours.
William Saliba: It was reported late on Thursday by RMC Sport's chief football editor @mohamedbouhafsi that an agreement had finally been made between Arsenal and St Etienne for central defender, Saliba. The player will officially sign for the club on Tuesday and will be loaned back to the French club for the forthcoming season. The fee is £25 million with an additional £5m in add ons. The initial up front payment is believed to be small. All this information has since been confirmed by Sky Sports.
Dani Ceballos: Sky Sports are reporting that a one year loan deal with an option to buy in the Summer of 2020 is very close to completion. It was believed that the deal was awaiting the approval of Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane but it appears that he has now approved of the deal.
It is believed that Arsenal will pay a loan fee and the players full wages. Arsenal play Madrid on Tuesday evening in Washington, so perhaps we can expect a conclusion after this.
Keiran Tierney: Both Sky Sports and the Daily Mail are reporting that Arsenal are still in talks to sign the Celtic left back. Arsenal will need to improve on the last bid of £18m plus £7m in add ons.
Wilfred Zaha: Zaha has now told Crystal Palace that he would like to leave in this transfer window. Sky Sports reported that Palace told Arsenal to be more creative with their next offer for Zaha. Palace are believed to have interest in right back Carl Jenkinson so he could be used as a makeweight in any potential deal.
This deal may currently be a long way off but it may not be completely dead either. Palace have also indicated to Arsenal that if they were to sell their star player then they would themselves, need sufficient time to find a replacement.
Everton Soares: Fox Sports reported several days ago that Arsenal were sending a medical doctor to Brazil in order to perform a medical on the Gremio winger. This report seems a little wide of the mark. Sky Sports have since reported that Arsenal will turn to Soares only if a deal for Zaha cannot be done.
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Update & new rumours
Panic over, Kieran Tierney is alive and well. Unfortunately he is still a Celtic player despite Arsenal meeting the £25m valuation in a roundabout sort of way. Here is David Ornstein's tweet:
Arsenal’s latest bid was submitted to Celtic on Friday and Kieran Tierney is keen for the move to happen. It is complicated by the breakdown and nature of the instalments Arsenal are proposing - but there remains optimism that the transfer will be completed #AFC #CelticFC
How very Arsenal!! Onto some new rumours..
Everton Soares - £36m - Gremio
Source - Radio Grenal (Brazil)
After some outstanding performances at the Copa America the Brazilian winger Soares has apparently come to the attention of both Arsenal and Athletico Madrid. Brazilian sports radio station, Radio Grenal has stated the following:
According to radio communicator Grenal, Darci Filho, a member of the Arsenal medical committee is expected to come to the capital of Rio Grande do Sul later this week to conduct medical examinations on the attacker. This is a common procedure during the transactions of players, especially when the business is close to being closed.
Probability 60%
Dani Alves - Free agent
Source AS (Spain)
It is an easy connection to make since Emery coached Alves at PSG and the player is also available for free as he has left PSG. Spanish newspaper AS claim that Emery has urged the Arsenal board to make Alves a contract offer.
French journalist, Alvaro Levrero also thinks that the Brazilian full back to Arsenal is on the cards, he tweeted:
Free Agent #DaniAlves would be #Gunner shortly. As @Arsenal realised swiss #StefanLichtsteiner, #Unai needs a strong option to start #Premier in right back position until #Bellerin's plenty recovering. Despite his age the #Brazilian form is more than excellent.
Probability 45%
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Update & Thoughts
It appears that Arsenal's incompetence holds no bounds. In a recent article posted on Football London an insider claimed that Arsenal’s current transfer plan has 'no strategy'. News that will come as no surprise to anyone, least of all us Gooners. While teams like Leicester have spent £70m+, Arsenal are still claiming to be skint, it's embarrassing for a club that used to hold the nickname 'The Bank of England'. In other news it appears that Kieran Tierney has disappeared of the face of the Earth.
Still, with all that said the rumours persist although again it would come as no surprise to anyone if Arsenal didn't sign a single player over the next 3 and a half weeks.
One name that has been circulating for a week or so is Real Madrid midfielder, Dani Ceballos. Madrid are believed to looking to loan the player out for up to 2 years, something that would suit Arsenal given their current state.
Sky Sports' Dharmeah Sheth believes Arsenal have moved ahead of North London rivals Spurs in the chase for Ceballos, reporting:
Arsenal now, it appears, are going head-to-head with Tottenham for Dani Ceballos from Real Madrid,” Sheth said.
“It appears that what Ceballos wants might fit in more with what Arsenal can do.
“I think Ceballos wants to do a loan, Real Madrid would ideally like to sell to get some money into the coffers to maybe buy other players.
Sheth also believes that with the Ivory Coast now out of the African Nations, the arrival home of Wilfred Zaha could spark some movement with the player set on moving to the Emirates.
“African Cup of Nations, Ivory Coast are out,” Sheth said on Sky Sports News.
“So Wilfried Zaha, this one could be come to a head very, very, very soon.
One player it appears is not currently on Arsenal’s radar is Ajax winger Hakim Ziyech as reported by David Ornstein on the Arseblog podcast :
Emery is not interested in the 26-year-old, who reportedly has a £25million release clause in his contract, and will pursue alternative targets."
..........................................................Update & Thoughts
After the embarrassing £40m Wilfred Zaha bid, things have gone quiet on the Palace winger although I'm sure we'll be talking about him again soon.
As for Kieran Tierney, lots of so called 'In the knows' are claiming the deal is done although not one credible media outlet is currently reporting this. Like Zaha, I'm sure we'll back mentioning his name again very soon.
Before we get onto some new names to be linked with the Arsenal, let's update on Willian Saliba. Le 10 Sport from France are claiming that the deal is now in the final stages of negotiation, so again I'm sure we will be hearing more about this player in the next week. Although with the people Arsenal have negotiating it could take years!
*New names linked*
The most exciting of the three new names we have today is that of midfielder, Nabil Fekir of Lyon. With the player entering the final year of his contract and it appears he has no intention of signing a new one, Lyon are apparently looking to cash in rather than lose him for nothing.
The Daily Mirror claim that the French club have offered Arsenal Fekir for £30m, remember Fekir almost signed for Liverpool last summer for twice that amount until the deal fell through because of a failed medical.
French newspaper L'Equipe are running a similar story. They claim Arsenal have made an enquiry but also state the deal hinges on the departure of Mesut Ozil.
Italian newspaper Gazzetta Dello Sport report that as many as six clubs including the Gunners are chasing Bologna's Erik Pulgar.
Midfielder Pulgar has been impressing with Chile at the Copa America and currently has a €12m buyout clause. So a player that at least fits the rumoured budget.
Talking of players that fit the budget and we are onto Hull City striker Jarrod Bowen, with The Sun claiming that Arsenal have been watching the 22 year old since January. Bowen scored 22 times for Hull last season and is believed to be valued by the Tigers at around £15m.
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1st July 17.45
Breaking news.... Sky Sports understands that Arsenal have bid £40m for Wilfred Zaha.
The only logical explanation to this, seeing as Palace want £80m, is to unsettle the player and hopefully force the move through. I mean, the powers that be actually sat down and discussed this bid knowing full well it would get laughed at.
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Update & Thoughts
There are really only 2 significant names doing the rounds at the moment with one potentially coming to a positive close.
Reports in the last 24 hours claim that Arsenal and Celtic are very close to reaching an agreement. Reports coming out of Scotland suggest that Arsenal have (will) bid £20m or £21m with an additional £5m-£6m made up from add ons. One report is still suggesting that Carl Jenkinson could be part of the deal.
Another report has stated that Tierney has left Celtic's training camp in Austria in order to complete the transfer. Another report has confirmed that Tierney has in fact returned to Scotland but this relates to Tierney's rehabilitation and is not connected to any potential transfer.
It certainly does feel like this transfer could be close.
The second rumoured transfer seems far less likely, Wilfred Zaha. There are several different factors in play here. Firstly, it is well documented that Manchester United will receive 20% or even 25% of any sell on fee Palace receive for the player.
It is rumoured that the South Londoners value the player at £60m but they will need to sell for £80m in order for them to receive their desired amount. However, today Palace are rumoured to have placed a £100m price tag on the winger.
It has also been stated that Palace will not sell Zaha at all, as chairman Steve Parish fears it will damage any hope for the takeover that he is currently seeking.
As for the player himself, it has been rumoured that he has asked to be sold to Arsenal as he is keen to progress but also wants to stay in London.
As I've stated many times before on here and on Twitter, if Arsenal only had a £40m transfer bugdet they wouldn't even be wasting a phone call or the paper in the fax machine on Zaha. That said if Arsenal are actually going to pull this deal off they are going to need to do some seriously good negotiating.
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Update & Thoughts
We have four names linked with Arsenal today, two we've heard before and two new ones.
Let's start with a player that hasn't really gone away, William Saliba of St Etienne. The French TV channel and website RMC Sport are reporting that the deal is progressing and that the player has already agreed to a five year contract with Arsenal.
RMC Sport claim that the Gunners have agreed to the £27m asking price. They also state that Arsenal have agreed to loan the player back for next season, something that goes against all other reports we've heard on this particular deal.
Onto another central defender, Torino's Armando Izzo. A report from Italian journalist, Gianluca Di Marzio claims that Arsenal are preparing a bid of around £22m for the Italian. However a separate report claims that Torino president has stated that the player will not be sold in this current transfer window.
Several websites have claimed that Arsenal have an interest in Red Bull Salzburg's 18 year old midfielder, Dominik Szoboszlai with the price ranging from £9m to £18m depending on which website you read. Although this seems like an Arsenal sort of a transfer no credible source has picked it up as of yet, so make of that what you will.
Lastly we are back to Celtic's Kieran Tierney. The Guardian newspaper have reported that Arsenal are hopeful that a bid of £18m will be enough to secure the left back despite the Scottish champions wanting £25m. The broadsheet also states that daily talks between the clubs are ongoing.
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Keiran Tierney - Celtic - £25m
Source - The Scottish Sun
Arsenal have been linked with the Scottish left back for several weeks, but it appears that they have made their interest formal. But Arsenal being Arsenal have tried gone in with a bid way under the asking price. The Scottish Sun states:
ARSENAL had an initial £15million bid for Celtic star Kieran Tierney KO’d — and have been told the price starts at £25m.
The Gunners tried to tempt the Hoops by offering fringe players such as Carl Jenkinson, Jordi Osei-Tutu, Emile Smith Rowe or Eddie Nketiah as part of the deal.
It was reported several days ago that Celtic had interest in Jenkinson who the Gunners value at £2m. Probability 70%
William Saliba - St Etienne £25m
Source - L'Equipe & The Evening Standard
A player that Arsenal have been linked with for several weeks, Saliba is currently at the forefront of the Gunners transfer rumours.
French sports paper L'Equipe claim that a 5 year deal between club and player has been agreed. However a report in the Evening Standard contradicts that claim, stating:
Reports in France suggest Arsenal have already reached a contract agreement with Saliba but it is thought the deal is not in fact that far advanced.
This deal also hinges on Arsenal loaning the player back to St Etienne for next season. If this deal goes through with that demand in place then it puts an enormous whole in the Arsenal 'only have £40m to spend' theory.
Two other players linked with Arsenal today are also from France and again like Saliba one has been linked before. Alexis Claude-Maurice, a former teammate of Matteo Guendouzi at Lorient has once more been associated with a move to the Emirates.
Probability 70%
Get French Football News' claim that Arsenal have had a second bid of €16m (£14m) rejected and Lorient are holding out for €20m (£18m). It was also suggested that the French club are hoping and expecting a bidding war as Sky Sports have stated that there are around 10 different clubs interested in the forward who scored 14 goals in 35 appearances last season.
The third name doing the rounds today is PSG defender, Presnel Kimpembe.
French news-site Soccer Link are reporting that the Gunners “came into contact with the player’s father to find out if a transfer is possible”. The website also claim he is eager to stay at PSG even if the French Champions sign Matthijs De Ligt from Ajax.
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Another day brings about more, and I use this term loosely, transfer rumours. If you've been keeping up to date with this particular page then you will be aware that as of yet even the transfers rumours that have been associated with the Gunners have been questionable at best. That said, the first of today's names does appear quite likely.
Markus Schubert - Dynamo Dresden £650,000
Source - The Independent
Probability 85%
Let’s start with the positive and although not a household name by any means it seems that the young German goalkeeper, Markus Schubert comes highly recommended. Although touted as a free transfer if Arsenal complete the deal they would have to pay a fee of around £650,000 which in the current market is as close to free as it's going to get.
This is what the Independent had to say:
Arsenal are closing in on a deal for German goalkeeper Markus Schubert.
The Dynamo Dresden keeper, rated as one of the best young keepers in Europe, is set to join Arsenal on a free transfer this summer.
Two other names being thinly linked with the Arsenal today include Brazilian wonder kid Reiner Jesus who currently plays for Flamengo. The one reason not to believe the story that comes via Italian website TMW that Arsenal are, 'preparing a bid' is the fact the the player has a €70m buyout clause. AC Milan remain the favourites for his signature. Much like Carrasco, links between Arsenal and Ivan Perisic have re-surfaced due to the reported interest in the player back in January. This report also comes from Italy (as it seems do all Arsenal transfer stories at the moment) with FC Inter news also stating that Wolves and Leicester are interested.
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Update & thoughts:
Although the transfer window has only recently opened, (the International window opened today 11th of June) Arsenal fans wait impatiently for the club's first peice of transfer business. Although the rumours and tenuous links persist it's interesting and perhaps disappointing to note that the English media are not reporting heavily on the Gunners current transfer targets.
Let's start with the one player that the English media did openly report on, Bournemouth's Ryan Fraser. It had all gone quiet on this front since it was reported that the Cherries wanted £40m for the winger. The 'believe it if you want' story is that Fraser has told teammates that he wants to move to Arsenal and somehow in all of this the price has halved to £20m?? This all according to the website football insider.
Moving on to what seems at present the most likely signing, Yannick Carrasco. The thing worth noting about this story is that there is a lot of speculation based on Arsenal's previous interest and therefore there are a lot of recycled quotes and a certain degree of guesswork.
It seems reports, all from abroad suggest that Arsenal want to loan the Belgium winger with an option to buy next summer. This request has apparently been denied by his club. This particular story sounds somewhat familiar.
Onto those more tenuous links that have no real source and are based on 'could be's' or 'should be's' !!
The most interesting of these is Celtic left back Keiran Tierney. Despite no concerete link to the player, his odds of joining Arsenal were slashed from 8/1 to 4/6 overnight and haven't budged since. Where have the bookies got thier information from?
The last two players are both plying their trade in Italy. Firstly, former Aston Villa flop Jordan Veretout currently with Fiorentina has been linked to Arsenal via his agent and absolutely nobody else!! Napoli are rumoured to be interested but it appears that the name Arsenal is being used to get the player a better deal.
The final name on the list of woefully underwhelming players is that of Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini. According to @NicoSchira (again) the player is being offered to both Arsenal and Spurs for £30m of which can be paid in two £15m installments.
UPDATE: Dennis Praet (pictured) & Joachim Anderson - Sampdoria £44m
Source - Nico Schira for Gazetta Dello Sport (Italy)
@NicoSchira tweeted:
Tonight (Friday) #Arsenal have sent a new offer to #Sampdoria for Joaquim #Andersen and Dennis #Praet: €48M for both. Steps forward for finalize the deal, even if Ferrero wants more.
It has been stated from the same source that the asking price for the two players is €50m (£44m) and that the Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero will sell at the full asking price. However a conflicting report suggests that the Italian club want to wait until their managerial situation has been sorted out before doing business.
Current manager Marco Giampaolo's appears to be on his way to AC Milan. Now, although this makes total sense, if this was in fact the case then why is Ferrero even discussing figures with Arsenal?
Probability 75%
Yannick Carrasco - Dalian Yifang £26m
Source - Diario Sport (Spain) & Nico Schira (Italian Journalist)
Several days ago Carrasco was talking about coming to the Premier league and stated that he'd had an offer from an in-named English club. Since Arsenal attempted to bring in the player back in January the obvious link was made but now it appears that this story may actually have some legs to it. Gazzetta Dello Sport journalist Nico Schira was first to claim that Arsenal were the 'mystery' club, this has since been backed up by several Spanish media outlets and therefore it is difficult to gage the validity of the whole thing.
@NicoSchira tweeted:
#Carrasco wants to return in Europe from Cina and go to #EPL. #Arsenal are in advanced talks to sign him from #DalianYifang. He was courted by #Gunners last January, but #Emery opted to sign Denis Suarez on loan, because chinese asked €30M.
Ozan Kabak - Stuttgart £13m
Source - Daily Mail
Although the defender only signed for Stuttgart in January from Galatassary, the German clubs relegation has prompted his availability. The player has also attracted rumoured interest from Manchester United and Spurs but Arsenal are also in the hunt. After the club’s relegation from the Bundesliga was confirmed, they (Arsenal) rekindled their interest in the 19-year-old, according to the Daily Mail.
Probability 50%
Samuel Umititi - Barcelona £53m
Source - Daily Star
This particular rumour started with several weeks of the season left but without Champions League football it seems less likely than it did in the first place. A report published on the 4th of June appears to make this transfer story totally redundant. The Daily Star claim Umtiti has asked Barcelona to ignore offers for his services, insisting he wants to stay in Spain with the La Liga champions.
Probability 10%
Ryan Fraser - Bournemouth £20-£30m
Source - The Independent
This rumour has been knocking around for several weeks now with the Independent claiming that Arsenal would start talks after the Europa League Final. However according to a report in the Bournemouth Echo dated the 4th of June, Arsenal have made no progress in their attempts to sign Fraser.
Probability 65%
James Maddison - Leicester City £60m
Source - Daily Mail
According to the Mail Arsenal made an enquiry to the availability of Maddison and were in return quoted the asking price of £60m. The Daily Mail say, though, that the Gunners have been left reeling by Leicester’s response.
Probability 20%
Willian Saliba - Saint Etienne £25m
Source - LE 10 SPORT
This proposed transfer seemed a real possibility about a week ago but the rumour has disappeared as quickly as it arrived. Last week the French publication, LE 10 SPORT said Unai Emery who is currently in pole position to secure the services of the defender.
Probability 50%
Dennis Praet (pictured) & Joachim Anderson - Sampdoria £37m
Source - Tuttosport
According to Italian newspaper Tuttosport, Arsenal have had a £37m joint bid turned down for midfielder Praet and defender Anderson. However it may not all be bad news with the paper claiming that Sampdoria will sell the pair for £44m. Buying two players from the same club at the same time is very difficult and therefore extremely rare. Arsenal may decide to go back for one of the two players later on in the window.
Probability 30%
Thomas Munier - PSG £25m
Source - France Football
At the end of May it was reported that Arsenal and Manchester United were to do battle for the Belgium right back however a report in the Daily Mirror on June 4th may have killed any speculation surrounding the player. The Belgian told Dutch broadcasters VTM Nieuws, he said: "I want to stay. We have been talking about a contract extension for a while, but there's no offer on the table anymore. I'm ready to stay in Paris. Everybody knows."
Probability 25%
Gabriel Martinelli - Ituano (Brazil) £6m
Source - Football London
The most Arsenal of Arsenal transfers, a promising young striker who isn't actually expected to be involved in the first team squad straight away. According to the reliable Layth Yousif at Football London, Arsenal have virtually got this deal done with the report claiming: Arsenal are set to unveil the signing of Martinelli once he turns 18 later this month.
Probability 95%
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