Arsenal face an incredibly tough start to the 2025/26 season, with the Gunners facing Manchester United at Old Trafford on the opening day of the Premier League campaign.
Mikel Arteta's side will play Leeds United, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Newcastle United in their opening six fixtures. With trips to Old Trafford, Anfield and St James' Park, points could be extremely hard to come by.
Things do get somewhat easier after the first six games, with fixtures against Fulham, Crystal Palace, Burnley and Sunderland to come. With the fixture list now set, Arteta and Andrea Berta can continue their hard work behind the scenes in regards to improving the playing squad.
football.london understands a deal for Martin Zubimendi is all but complete, with only a medical left to take place. The Spaniard is now on holiday following a gruelling season with Real Sociedad and it's expected the transfer will be completed at the start of next month, mainly due to accounting reasons.
It's understood the midfielder will join the north Londoners for around £55million, with the fee slightly higher than the player's release clause so the Gunners can spread the payments across instalments and avoid paying one lump sum. There had been talk of Real Madrid trying to hijack the deal, but it's believed Arsenal remain calm about the situation and Zubimendi is still expected to join in the coming weeks.
A new striker is also on the cards for Arsenal this summer, with both Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres heavily considered. football.london understands club chiefs are unanimously in favour of sanctioning a big money move for Sesko, who scored 21 goals for RB Leipzig last season.
At the age of 22, it's believed the Slovenian will improve further under the tutelage of Arteta. Arsenal were close to signing Sesko last summer but the striker instead signed a new contract with Leipzig, meaning any transfer now is likely to cost upwards of £85million. According to BILD, the Gunners and Sesko have come to an agreement on personal terms and now the two clubs just need to negotiate a fee.
Confidence is growing that a full agreement can be reached and Arsenal can get a deal over the line for Sesko ahead of pre-season next month. The Arsenal squad will return to pre-season training at the start of July before flying out to Singapore and Hong Kong later in the month, where they will play AC Milan, Tottenham and Newcastle.
Arteta will want both Zubimendi and Sesko to be with the squad for the pre-season tour, so they are fully up to speed when Arsenal face Manchester United on August 17.
Dream Arsenal starting lineup for Manchester United on opening day of 2025/26 Premier League season: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Sesko, Martinelli.