One player now looks set to stay at the Emirates.
One Arsenal player in particular looks like he’s now set to stay at the club, according to journalist Ryan Taylor.
The Gunners have already made a number of signings this summer with the hope of toppling Manchester City, but it’s exits that were the topic of discussion for Ryan Taylor.
What is the latest Arsenal transfer news?
The Gunners have had a very strong transfer window already.
The club have made three signings so far, adding Kai Havertz from Chelsea in a deal worth £65m, Jurrien Timber from Dutch side Ajax for a fee of £38m, and the British domestic record transfer for West Ham United midfielder and captain Declan Rice for a fee of £105m.
The club are also in advanced talks with Brentford for Spanish goalkeeper David Raya, with David Ornstein reporting that despite the fact the opening bid was rejected, it was only slightly below what Brentford will accept, with all parties wanting to complete the deal for the 27-year-old shot-stopper.
One deal that doesn’t look like it’ll happen is the transfer for Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus. Arsenal were reportedly interested in the Ghanaian this window, however, Ornstein reports that the attacking midfielder is closing in on a move to Brighton and Hove Albion for €40m(£34.5m).
But, it seems now that the Gunners will be focused on outgoings for a while, with the focus on reducing the deadwood in the squad and bringing in funds in case they want to complete any more signings, with a number of players potentially leaving the Emirates this summer.
One player who has been linked with an exit from the Emirates is Takehiro Tomiyasu, who earns around £56k per week, as Inter Milan are one of the clubs who are looking at potentially signing the defender.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Taylor revealed that Albert Sambi Lokonga and Cedric Soares were earmarked for potential departures this summer, whilst Takehiro Tomiyasu is part of manager Mikel Arteta’s plans for next season.
He said: “Lokonga is one that’s being looked at by Burnley, but from what I understand, the stuff that’s been reported in the past few days has been sort of blown up a bit. It’s not quite as close as being reported. Cedric Soares can leave. Tomiyasu, from what I understand, is very much part of Arteta’s plans, and he’s not going to leave the club. The only case that would maybe change – Tomiyasu is really appreciated at Arsenal because he’s a versatile defender who’s done a solid job – is if a right back comes in, which I don’t forecast happening. I don’t know how much money Arsenal have got left to spend, but the fact they are in for David Raya indicated that they’re not done yet. I still think there could be a few surprises at Arsenal, but ultimately outgoings will be key to that further spending.”
So, who could leave Arsenal this summer?
There are a number of players who are attracting interest ahead of potential departures.
As Taylor stated, Sambi Lokonga is a reported target of Burnley, with current manager Vincent Kompany driving the interest for the midfielder who he worked with previously at Anderlecht. The report states that it could be either a permanent deal or a loan move that brings the Belgian, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Crystal Palace, to Turf Moor for this season.
Another player close to sealing a departure is goalkeeper Matt Turner. The USA international is set to join Nottingham Forest according to Fabrizio Romano, with a verbal agreement in place between the two sides, and personal terms also agreed between Forest and Turner.
Cedric is also set to leave the Gunners this season, with a number of sides around Europe interested in the fullback according to football.london. Villarreal retain their interest in the defender whilst the big three in Portugal all hold an interest in the player who didn’t join the Gunners on their pre-season tour around America.
Aston Villa are monitoring Aymeric Laporte, and their chances of signing him may have just received a boost, as Manchester City are now looking to cash in on the defender for a fee of £30m, according to a report from The Mirror.
Who are Aston Villa signing this summer?
Villa have bolstered their backline significantly this summer, bringing in Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres for a fee of €33m (£29m), meaning Unai Emery is now mainly focussing on strengthening his squad in more attacking areas.
Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor recently told GiveMeSport: I still sort of see another attack-minded player, someone who’s going to add more goals and power to the side. I think Ollie Watkins has done brilliantly, but I still feel like Aston Villa can probably take that area of their team to the next level.
“Maybe full-back as well might be an area they look to strengthen. I’ve seen Ezri Konsa has been playing right back a fair bit with Matty Cash.
“And there was a midfielder that Villa have been looking at, who is Tyler Adams. I think that’s one to watch,
It is not out of the question for the Villans to bring in a new centre-back, however, having recently made an approach for OGC Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo, who is valued at around €40-50m (£35-43m) by his current club.
According to a report from The Mirror, the Midlands outfit are also monitoring Laporte, and they may have now been given a good opportunity to sign him, with Man City ready to let him leave for a fee of £30m.
After signing Josko Gvardiol earlier this week, Pep Guardiola is now blessed with options in defence, and he is willing to sanction the Spaniard’s departure, but there will be fierce competition for his signature.
Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have also been monitoring the 29-year-old, and there could soon be interest from abroad, with Guardiola keen to offload him to a foreign club, rather than strengthening a fellow Premier League side.
How tall is Aymeric Laporte?
The Man City defender stands at 6 foot 2, and he uses his height to his advantage on a regular basis, winning 254 of the 396 aerial duels he has contested in the Premier League, in a total of 120 appearances.
As well as being dominant in the air, the France-born centre-back is also extremely impressive with the ball at his feet, ranking in the 99th percentile for passes attempted per 90 in the past year, when compared to his positional peers, and achieving a 92.7% pass completion rate.
Lauded as a “beast” by football writer Muhammad Butt, the former Athletic Bilbao man has all the attributes to be a huge success at Villa Park, and £30m seems like a fair price, given he has only just turned 29 and that he has plenty of experience playing at the highest level.
The only potential issue is that Man City would prefer to sell Laporte to a foreign club, meaning Villa may not stand a very good chance of signing him unless the Citizens soften their stance later in the window.
About The Author
