By Rob Worthington (Senior Writer)
It's back! The Premier League returns this weekend after a short pause and it can definitely be said that Arsenal are in a stronger position now than we were at the end of the 19/20 campaign. The two players we have brought in will definitely improve Mikel Arteta's team. Still, not a single Arsenal player has been officially sold as of yet and midfield reinforcements are needed desperately.
Here's a roundup of all the most reliable transfer rumours from the previous week:
Incomings:
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang:
Yes, before you start screaming, I know Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang already plays for Arsenal Football Club. However, Arsenal's most important deal of the Summer has finally been struck. A deal to keep our club captain in North London for three more years. According to David Ornstein, the agreement to keep the Gabonese International at the club will make him our highest paid player.
Ornstein confirmed that Mikel Arteta was instrumental in regard to persuading Aubameyang to stay. However, the roles of Raul Sanllehi, Edu Gaspar and Huss Fahmy can't be understated either. It is believed that Barcelona and Inter Milan held a heavy interest in our number 14 but Auba chose to stay. Numerous sources, such as ESPN, have suggested Arsenal will announce the news of the renewal this evening.
Houssem Aouar:
After weeks of links implying that Arsenal hold an interest in Houssem Aouar, rumors have suggested Arsenal's interest seems to have collected some serious momentum over the course of the last week. Fabrizio Romano believes Mikel Arteta is 'in love' with the player and has also revealed the Frenchman would like to move to the Premier League.
The sticking point with this one seems to be the price tag. Romano believes Lyon wouldn't be willing to budge on their €60 million valuation and also have no interest in a swap deal. Thus, player sales will be required before we are able to make a move for the 22-year-old. Nonetheless, it's been suggested that Lyon would be open to a deal involving installments. So, it's not as if we need to bring in £50+ million immediately in order to buy him.
Julian Draxler:
Arsenal were first rumoured to hold an interest in Julian Draxler in 2013, here we are 7 years later, and the links still persist. The 26-year-old German, who is under contract with PSG until the end of the 20/21 season, has reportedly been offered to Arsenal in a swap deal for Mattéo Guendouzi. L'Équipe have not ruled out the idea of PSG offering Arsenal player + cash.
RMC have suggested that Leeds also hold an interest in the player but it is believed that Draxler has no interest in joining Bielsa's side. Still, it's unclear whether Arsenal would be interested in the German and with Mattéo Guendouzi back in Arsenal training it certainly isn't implausible that the Frenchman will now stay at Arsenal beyond the end of the Summer transfer window.
Outgoings
Hector Bellerin:
It looks like Hector Bellerin will be staying at Arsenal this Summer. In spite of interest from significant interest from PSG and tentative links with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus, the 25-year-old will not be leaving North London this transfer window. Fabrizio Romano confirmed today that PSG's only offer to Arsenal for Bellerin was a loan with an option-to-buy clause which was duly rejected.
The right-back, who purchased a share in English Football League side Forest Green Rovers earlier this week, was never thought to have been put up to sale by Arsenal. However, as per The Athletic and The Independent, if a substantial offer came in for the Spaniard, we would consider selling. Now PSG have signed Allesandro Florenzi, there is no obvious suitor for Bellerin. So, the Barcelona academy graduate will remain at Arsenal next season.
Rob Holding:
Another man who looked to be on the brink of leaving Arsenal just a few days ago now also looks to be staying. David Ornstein revealed prior to the Community Shield final that we had an agreement in place with Newcastle which would've seen Rob Holding join the Magpies for a season-long loan. However, since then, David Luiz has sustained a niggling neck injury and Mikel Arteta has decided that he needs to keep Holding.
Ornstein believes that Holding will play a crucial part for Arsenal during the first few weeks of the season as Arsenal's most experienced defender. With Luiz and Mustafi injured and Sokratis on the way out that'll leave Holding, Gabriel and Saliba as our three central defensive options. Ornstein went on to suggest that if Luiz fully recovers from his injury Holding may yet still join Newcastle.
Emi Martinez
As per The Athletic and Sky Sports, Aston Villa have increased their offer for Emi Martinez to around £20 million. Arsenal are said to be seriously considering this proposition. With Bernd Leno back from his injury and Martinez' demands for first team football, it would be unfair to keep hold of the Argentine who undoubtedly deserves to be a starter at a top flight club. Unfortunately, Mikel Arteta just can't guarantee him that.
It's believed that Arsenal may try and hold out for a bit more money but it does seem to be the case that our longest-serving player could be on the way out this Summer. If Martinez does leave the club in the coming weeks, it's believed Arsenal would be interested in bringing in Brentford's David Raya to deputise for Leno.
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