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Berta has been a busy man | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal are chasing a deal to snap up important midfield depth in the coming days.
Arsenal are now said to be one step away from completing a transfer having been hard at work on new deals over recent weeks. The Gunners looked to be having a slow start to the summer, but that has changed dramatically in the last week or so.
All of a sudden, Mikel Arteta could have Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard and Cristhian Mosquera as part of his squad and ready for pre-season, with those deals potentially going through in the coming days.
As far as the Norgaard deal is concerned, Arsenal are expected to pay £10million plus add-ons to Brentford to seal the deal, and it’s expected Norgaard will replace Jorginho as a supplementary midfielder within the Gunners squad. With Zubimendi expected to be an upgrade on Thomas Partey, that should be Arsenal’s midfield sorted, providing the two deals do indeed go through.
It was reported earlier this week that Norgaard had received the necessary permission from Brentford to undergo a medical at Arsenal, and Bees chief Phil Giles has now confirmed that.
He told Sky Sports: “Arsenal approached us in the last two weeks about Christian – we’ve spoken regularly with Andrea Berta. As it stands, I think it’s more likely to happen than not. But we have to go through the full process, tick all the boxes, and we’ll see at the end of it.”
He added: “He’s been a fantastic player for us, unbelievable. I’m actually happy for him that he has earned the opportunity, at this stage of his career, age 31, to go and have the opportunity to win some trophies. It isn’t done yet but we are aware that. If and when he does depart, we also have a leadership void to fill. We’ll look to cover it.”
Norgaard praise
Norgaard was a key player under Thomas Frank and helped Brentford achieve a superb season of last, with the Bees flirting with European qualification until the final games.
Frank said of Norgaard previously: "So pleasing, so pleased, he's a key player for us. Every team has one or two players that is the glue, makes the team tick, or better just by stepping on pitch. Norgaard is one of the players that does that for us. The amount of interceptions, second balls he wins, his ability to keep the ball and play the pass forward is key.
"There is not a plan to get midfielder in. If Christian was out injured for six months say, then it would depend on how our midfield looked, or if we picked up injuries, but it’s not an area we are looking to strengthen. I will say we are always aware and open-minded. If the opportunity is there, we go for it."
Arteta and Berta will be delighted to have secured such a useful midfield player for such a small fee, especially given their need to spend significantly on other positions this summer.
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