By Rob Worthington (Senior Writer)
It’s been something of a crazy week for everyone involved with Arsenal Football Club. There’s been a lot of good, such as the brilliant FA Cup win on Saturday which secured European Football for next season, however, there has also been a bit of bad. Just yesterday, Arsenal announced they are set to make 55 staff members redundant as a result of the financial implications caused by the coronavirus.
Journalists covering Arsenal are insistent that the Gunners’ plans in the transfer window will not be altered by the redundancy announcement. In fact, noises coming out of the media suggest that the coming window could be one of the busiest in the club’s history. Over the last few weeks, there have been countless rumours of incomings and outgoings. In this article, I aim to exemplify to you the Arsenal transfer rumours which hold the most credibility.
Incomings
Gabriel Magalhaes
Arsenal have been linked with left-footed Lille centre-half Gabriel Magalhaes for quite a while now. Even prior to the turn of the year, The Athletic reported that Arsenal held an interest in the Brazilian. Over the last week, rumours have intensified and it seems a move to the Emirates is likely for Gabriel.
La Voix Du Nord, the same newspaper who first broke the Pépé to Arsenal story last year, have suggested that Arsenal bypassed Napoli, Everton and Manchester United in the race to sign Gabriel. They believe a deal in the region of €30 million has been struck between Lille and Arsenal. It’s probable that his signature will be captured by the end of next week if all goes to plan.
Willian
Chelsea winger Willian is out of contract with the blues and it looks almost doubtless that he’ll sign for Arsenal as a free agent in the coming weeks. Fabrizio Romano announced on Twitter at the beginning of the week that Arsenal are the front runners in the race to sign the Brazilian.
Various reports such as those from The Telegraph are inferring that the 31-year-old will take a pay cut to join Arsenal as his weekly wage will decrease to around £100,000. However, the winger is enticed by the 3-year-offer, a big signing fee and the prospect of playing alongside numerous compatriots at Arsenal.
Philippe Coutinho
Just a few weeks ago, when rumours were rife concerning a move to Arsenal for Philippe Coutinho, the reliable @TransferChecker on Twitter announced that Arsenal’s move for the Brazilian was “dead in the water.” Nonetheless, reports this week suggest the Gunners have revived their interest and a deal once again looks like it could be on the cards.
Still, Arsenal would have to structure a favourable deal if they want to sign the attacking midfielder who earns a huge £300,000 a week at Barcelona. Either the hierarchy would have to persuade Coutinho to take a wage cut or Barcelona would have to continue to pay a sizable chunk of his wage. Sport.es, reliable for Barça news, are suggesting a deal is possible due to Raul Sanlehi’s strong working relationship with Coutinho’s agent Kia Joorabchian.
Dani Ceballos
It seems that an agreement between Arsenal and Real Madrid has been reached to keep Dani Ceballos in North London for another season. Both The Times and AS have reported that it seems more than likely that Ceballos will stay at Arsenal for another season.
Sky Sports revealed almost 2 weeks ago now that the Spaniard would be more than happy to remain at Arsenal for another season. If a deal is reached, it’ll probably be another loan move with an option/obligation to buy clause.
Outgoings
Ainsley Maitland-Niles
According to The Athletic, Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ situation has drawn the attention of suitors from England and Germany. According to The Mirror, Brighton are interested in the Englishman whilst Stuttgart have been touted as potential buyers from Germany.
Mikel Arteta is set to hold crunch talks with the Hale End academy graduate this week as he now wants to see the player stay with Arsenal after a positive end to the season. The player is said to want to leave Arsenal this Summer in order to gain more first team football.
Mattéo Guendouzi
Mattéo Guendouzi is completely surplus to requirements at Arsenal. According to @AFCBell on Twitter, the Frenchman was offered within a swap deal as Arsenal lodged their first official bid to sign Thomas Partey. Atletico duly rejected this offer.
Otherwise, rumours have been pretty quiet concerning Guendouzi. According to a number of less reliable outlets, the Frenchman is wanted by Unai Emery at Villarreal but it’s unlikely the Spanish side would be able to sign him on a permanent basis.
Alex Lacazette
French striker Alexandre Lacazette has just completed his third season at Arsenal. However, various reports are insinuating his time in red and white could be reaching its conclusion. Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Juventus have been touted as potential destinations for the 29-year old.
However, similarly to Ainsley Maitland-Niles, a strong end to the season has reportedly turned Mikel Arteta’s head. Despite the board’s preference to sell Lacazette, Mikel Arteta reportedly now feels the former Lyon striker still has a future at Arsenal and wants to keep hold of him. Nevertheless, It’s plausible that such notions are only being conjured up to drive up his price a little.
See you next time
That’s all for this week. Of course, I haven’t covered every single rumour but my focus in these columns is to focus on current media reports and reliable media reports. Enjoy transfer rumour season everyone!
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