OLEKSANDR ZINCHENKO is heading to Arsenal after the Gunners agreed a fee with Manchester City of around £30million.
The Ukrainian, 25, has worked with Mikel Arteta when the Spaniard coached at City and is now on his way to the Emirates.
The Gunners are set to lose out on one of their top prospects Omari Hutchinson who has reportedly agreed a deal with Chelsea.
The young starlet has been on the fringes of Arsenal's first team for some time and it is claimed that he believes a move across London would be more beneficial.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that the Gunners are ready to go back in with a bid for Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Edmund Tapsoba who is being valued at around £34-44 million.
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Stay up to date with all the latest from the Emirates…
- Alex Cole
Personal terms to be negotiated on £30m Zinchenko move
Zinchenko is now set to be reunited with Arteta at the Emirates having worked with the Spaniard at the Etihad.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed that only personal terms need to be finalised.
He tweeted: "Arsenal and Manchester City have now reached verbal agreement in principle for Oleksandr Zinchenko, fee around £30m.
"Personal terms are still discussed.
"Salary and length of contract, in negotiation – key step to complete the agreement."
- Alex Cole
Arsenal agree fee for Zinchenko
Arsenal have reportedly agreed a fee with Manchester City worth £30million for Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Sunsport reported on Thursday how the Gunners had opened talks to sign the Ukraine international.
Zinchenko will be the second player to swap City for Arsenal this summer after striker Gabriel Jesus departed for £45m.
- Alex Cole
Gunners target Martinez joins Man Utd
Lisandro Martinez has boarded a private jet heading for England with the defender set for a medical at Manchester United.
The Ajax centre-back will link up with his former boss Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford after snubbing a move to Arsenal.
Argentine Martinez will become Ten Hag's third signing of the summer after United finally agreed a £42million fee with the Dutch champions.
Martinez posted a picture on board a private jet heading for Manchester alongside his agent Christian Bragarnik after being spotted by fans at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.
- Jake Lambourne
Morning Arsenal fans
Juventus are interested in signing Arsenal ace Gabriel Magalhaes, reports suggest.
According to The Independent, Juve have approached the Gunners to discuss a possible deal for Gabriel this summer.
Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka is poised to sign a new contract with Arsenal.
That’s according to Fabrizo Romano, who said on Twitter: “Bukayo Saka’s contract extension has always been priority for Arsenal, talks are still ongoing with his agent in order to reach full agreement on long term deal.
“Saka’s happy with Arsenal project, discussing on salary details.”
Elsewhere, Arsenal are reportedly plotting a swoop for Man City star Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The Athletic claim City are open to flogging the Ukrainian this summer.
And he’ll be a sound alternative for the injury-plagued Kieran Tierney at the back, according to Stuart Pearce.
Finally, Leeds are interested in signing Nicolas Pepe to replace Barcelona-bound Raphinha, according to reports.
Pepe, 27, is available for transfer at Arsenal after falling down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta.
According to Diario de Seville, Leeds are competing with Sevilla for Pepe’s signature.
The Gunners are willing to accept a huge loss on the winger, slapping a £25m price tag on him.
- Justin Lawrence
Xhaka weighs in on transfers
Granit Xhaka has given new Arsenal signings Fabio Vieira and Gabriel Jesus his seal of approval.
The pair arrived at Arsenal this summer, and Xhaka thinks they'll bring the winning mentality that's been missing at the club.
He told Sky Sports: "They are bringing something more than just games and wins, they are bringing the mentality of winning something – that is what we need here.
"It is not so easy only to speak but to show it on the pitch as well, both they bring the experience.
"Of course, Gabi knows the Premier League. I think he won everything, or nearly everything but the most important thing is to bring the players that have the hunger as well because you can win a lot of trophies that's enough, but these guys want to win much more and in with us which makes us very happy to have them."
- Justin Lawrence
Arsenal face transfer battle
Arsenal face competition in their alleged pursuit of Cagliari star Giovanni Simeone.
The striker emerged as a transfer target for the Gunners after they lost Alexandre Lacazette this summer.
But they'll have to fend off interest from Napoli, Juventus and Juventus, according to TMW.
- Justin Lawrence
Why Zinchenko pursuit makes sense
Arsenal's transfer pursuit of Oleksandr Zinchenko makes perfect sense as Kieran Tierney's perpetually injured.
That's the view of Gary Lewin who said on talkSPORT: "Clubs are continually assessing what they’ve got and there will be medical involvement, but ultimately it’s a football decision.
“All clubs will strengthen in areas where they think they need strengthening.
“Last year Arsenal had the issue that when Tierney was injured, they had to fill the left position with players out of position, so I don’t think it’s a complete surprise that they’re looking to strengthen that, but I think you could argue that across all clubs.
“They’ll be looking to strengthen and tweak their squad across the whole pre-season and transfer window.”
- Justin Lawrence
Saliba wants more next season
Arsenal star William Saliba has shared his ambition ahead of the new season.
He spent last season on loan with Marseille, but he's come back to London wanting more.
In a chat with the club, he said: "I had a good season last season. We finished second in the table and I had some good moments and learned a lot, and I hope this season will be better than that.
“I was very proud [to win the Young Player of the Year award] because the league has a lot of good young players, so it’s good for me but I want more.”
- Justin Lawrence
Sevilla eye Arsenal flop
Arsenal flop Nicolas Pepe could be on his way to Spain, according to reports.
The Gunners ace has failed to make an impact at The Emirates since moving there last summer.
And reports from Spain suggest Sevilla are interested in ending Pepe's misery.
The La Liga side are reportedly willing to offer the Gunners 15million euros to snag Pepe.
However, their proposal is 10million lower than Arsenal's valuation of him.
- Justin Lawrence
Saka set for new deal
Bukayo Saka is poised to sign a new contract with Arsenal.
That's according to Fabrizo Romano, who said on Twitter: "Bukayo Saka’s contract extension has always been priority for Arsenal, talks are still ongoing with his agent in order to reach full agreement on long term deal.
"Saka’s happy with Arsenal project, discussing on salary details."
- Justin Lawrence
Elneny's US tour excitement
Arsenal ace Mohamed Elneny can't wait to hit the ground running in the club's tour of the US.
The midfielder said: "Everyone is excited for pre-season in America.
“We are here for 10 or 11 days and we are going to give everything every day to be stronger. It’s been really good so far.
“Sometimes it’s good to change the location, be away from the training ground, and get to know each other better. We have met a few fans, signed some autographs, and the weather is different too.
“I think that’s good for us though, it makes us work harder, makes us stronger. When you train when it’s humid and really hot it’s tougher. It’s hard work but it’s better for us.
“We are going to play three good opponents, and it’s going to be a really good test for us – a good training exercise. Pre-season is always like that, the most important thing is how we put what we have worked on in training out in the games too.
“I’m looking forward to the games, to learn from what we’ve worked on. And hopefully more goals from me!”
- Justin Lawrence
Gnabry return transfer scuppered
Arsenal's hopes of bringing back Serge Gnabry have been dealt a huge blow.
The winger played for the Gunners from 2012 – 2016, before ending up at Bayern a year later.
He's been linked with a return to his boyhood club after recently rejecting a £200,000-a-week contract with the German ginats.
But Gnabry's set to stay at the Allianz Arena after having a change of heart.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Gnabry is expected to sign a new four-year deal in the next few days.
- Justin Lawrence
Gift of the Gab
Juventus are interested in signing Arsenal ace Gabriel Magalhaes, reports suggest.
According to The Independent, Juve have approached the Gunners to discuss a possible deal for Gabriel this summer.
The Bianconeri wish to sign the centre-back as a replacement for Chelsea transfer target Matthijs de Ligt, who looks likely to leave Turin.
However, De Ligt doesn't seem bound for Stamford Bridge just yet as Bayern Munich appear to lead the race for his signature.
- Justin Lawrence
Arsenal tipped for Champions League spot
Paul Merson has tipped former club Arsenal to pip North London rivals Tottenham to a Champions League spot next season.
He told Sportskeeda: "If I had to pick one of the two north London sides, I’ll have to go with Arsenal. Tottenham’s participation in the UEFA Champions League this season could be an issue for them, as they’ll have a bunch of tough mid-week games to cater to in between their Premier League commitments.
"They don’t really have a big squad, which could make all the difference.
"Arsenal, on the other hand, should be able to manage their domestic commitments as the UEFA Europa League isn’t that high in terms of quality, at least in comparison to the Champions League."
- Justin Lawrence
Zin-g him in
Arsenal are reportedly plotting a swoop for Man City star Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The Athletic claim City are open to flogging the Ukrainian this summer.
And he'll be a sound alternative for the injury-plagued Kieran Tierney at the back, according to Stuart Pearce.
He told talkSPORT: "They’ve got [Kieran] Tierney at Arsenal, but he gets a lot of injuries.
“The fact Zinchenko can play in various positions, he can slip into midfield and a more advanced position, as he does for Ukraine.”
- Justin Lawrence
Hutchinson makes London transfer switch
Omari Hutchinson is set to complete a transfer from Arsenal to Chelsea.
The winger, 18, was highly rated by the Gunners, scoring six goals and producing six assists in 17 games last season.
But talks about a new deal between Arsenal and Hutchinson have reportedly broken down.
And that has allowed Chelsea to pounce according to The Secret Scout with the Blues said to be offering a higher salary, reports Chris Wheatley.
Hutchinson has completed a medical and is set to be unveiled as Chelsea's latest signing.
- Alex Cole
Man Utd may compete for Tielemens
According to talkSPORT, Manchester United are interested in Youri Tielemans if their move for Frenkie De Jong breaks down.
United will have to compete with Arsenal for the Leicester ace, who has entered the final 12 months of his Foxes contract.
The Gunners have stepped up their interest in Tielemans and are ready to make a firm offer for the Leicester midfielder.
And they are confident of sealing a £30million deal for the 25-year-old Belgian international despite rival interest.
- Alex Cole
Tomiyasu back to his best?
Takehiro Tomiyasu is one of the first names on the teamsheet for Arsenal when fit.
Tomiyasu battled for a large majority of the season to return from injury.
But then was forced off midway through the loss at Newcastle with a hamstring pull.
The Japan international should be at right-back in the starting XI most weeks this season.
He returned to London Colney on Monday for pre-season training, despite not attending the US tour.
- Alex Cole
Leeds 'interested' in Pepe
Leeds are interested in signing Nicolas Pepe to replace Barcelona-bound Raphinha, according to reports.
Pepe, 27, is available for transfer at Arsenal after falling down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta.
According to Diario de Seville, Leeds are competing with Sevilla for Pepe's signature.
The Gunners are willing to accept a huge loss on the winger, slapping a £25m price tag on him.
- Alex Cole
More on Aouar transfer
The Gunners could have the upper hand on Real Betis as the midfielder is said to be keen on a Premier League move.
Reports earlier in the summer claimed Arsenal were prepared to complete a cut-price deal for Aouar.
Arsenal tried to sign the one-cap France international last year and did hold talks with his representatives.
Aouar, who was also previously linked with Liverpool, was still keen to secure a transfer to the Emirates even when a deal fell through.
- Alex Cole
Lyon ‘willing to sell’ Arsenal and Betis target Aouar
Arsenal have been joined in the race to sign Lyon star Houssem Aouar by Real Betis, according to reports.
The midfielder, 24, is a long-term target of the Gunners but Lyon had always stood in the way of his exit.
But that is reportedly no longer the case with the French club open to selling the Frenchman, according to L’Equipe.
Aouar is in the final 12 months of his contract and could be available for as little as £17million.
But that could place the midfielder out of Betis’ price range with the Spanish side hoping to use William Carvalho as a makeweight in the deal.
Arsenal may also look to make a bid with Aouar a cheaper alternative to the likes of Youri Tielemans.
- Alex Cole
Saliba gets nod from Mertesacker
Per Mertesacker has urged Mikel Arteta to use William Saliba next season.
Saliba sizzled on loan with Marseille last season, and Mertesacker reckons he can do the same for the Gunners if given the chance.
The academy boss said: “But what William has done in France and in Marseille is magnificent so far.
“To really test him this summer and see what’s best for him. But he has clearly made his mark with his young age, playing in a major league in Europe and being one of the best players says it all, so why not use him.”
- Alex Cole
Arsenal ‘willing to sell Gabriel’
Top-four chasing Arsenal are “willing” to do business for defender Gabriel at the right price.
The Brazilian is attracting interest from Juventus.
And according to the Independent , Arsenal are willing to do business if bidding starts at the £50million mark.
- Alex Cole
Don't snooze on Gunners attack
Arsenal star Nicolas Pepe has been outed as the football room-mate from hell.
He snores so loudly he "sounds like a motorbike" according to international team-mate Wilfried Zaha.
The Crystal Palace forward, 29, says he was forced to ask bosses to let him move rooms after being paired with Pepe while on Ivory Coast duty.
Zaha told the On the Judy podcast: "Oh my days. Nicolas Pepe. I asked to leave the room.
"I went and asked to leave the room because he sounded like a motorbike.
"It was mad, it was crazy. I was like, 'No'.
"These are the first times as well when I went [with Ivory Coast].
"They let me move and share rooms with Salomon Kalou. And he was like 'Bro, I know.'"
- Alex Cole
Arsenal keen to sign Chelsea starlet
Mikel Arteta’s side are keen on pinching a rising star from a London rival.
The Gunners have joined the race for Chelsea defender Levi Colwill, who had a successful loan spell at Huddersfield last season.
The 19-year-old is keen to play regular football after playing a starring role on loan at Huddersfield last season.
And the possibility of three new centre-backs signing for Chelsea has led to him considering an exit.
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