Gabriel Martinelli, Mikel Arteta & Myles Lewis-Skellyplaceholder image
Gabriel Martinelli, Mikel Arteta & Myles Lewis-Skelly | Getty Images
A look at the players who could be sold by Arsenal this summer - and the transfer fees they will command.
Arsenal may well end a 20-plus-year wait for a Premier League title this season, but that doesn’t mean that the club’s decision makers are entirely content with their squad – and there’s every chance that a busy transfer window lies in wait at the Emirates.
Partly, that’s because quite a few current first-team players could be on the way out, creating holes which Andrea Berta’s transfer team will have to ensure are filled appropriately. Current press reports suggest that as many as six current first-teamers could leave this summer – so we’ve looked at the players Arsenal might lose, and how much they’d get for them if they do.
Gabriel Martinelli among multiple attackers who could leave Arsenal
Whoever stays or goes, it’s likely that Arsenal attempt to sign a new left winger this summer, with the position having become a noticeable area of weakness for the Gunners – partly due to the failure of Gabriel Martinelli to maintain the form he flashed a few years ago.
With the Brazilian entering the final year of his deal, it looks likely that Arsenal will attempt to find a buyer. It’s not clear, as yet, who’s in the market, although a few press reports have put the asking price in the £50m region – which may be optimistic given his contract situation. Barcelona have been tentatively linked, but are prioritising a deal for Marcus Rashford. Atlético Madrid could be a better bet.
Martinelli isn’t the only forward whose time at Arsenal could be up, however. Both Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus also have contracts which end in 2027, and there is speculation that both could be on their way out.
Jesus seems the more likely of the two to leave, with his departure assumed by large sections of the media, even if it’s not clear where he might end up going – a return to his home country could be on the cards. Some press reports have suggested that Arsenal would ask for £25m or so, but that will depend heavily on how large the market is.
There has been some speculation over the future of Trossard, too, with Newcastle and Aston Villa among the clubs to have been linked with a bid by gossip websites such as Sports Boom. Saudi sides are also said to be interested, with £25m again suggested as an asking price.
Finally, a few reports have wondered whether club captain Martin Ødegaard might move on this summer – but as it stands, our understanding is that there is little truth to those stories. The sources appear to be a combination of a comment made by Joe Cole when acting as a pundit, and a story from a notoriously inaccurate Spanish rumour website. As it stands, there are no tangible reasons to believe that Ødegaard will leave.
Could Myles Lewis-Skelly be leaving the Emirates in the summer transfer window?
Elsewhere, there has been considerable recent speculation over the future of talented full-back Myles Lewis-Skelly, with the suggestion being that he could leave the Emirates in order to find first-team football elsewhere having dropped below Riccardo Calafiori in the pecking order under Mikel Arteta.
At the start, stories surrounding Lewis-Skelly focussed on the possibility that he could be allowed to move on loan to a side like Everton or West Ham to earn some extra experience – but there have also been a rash of recent stories suggesting that Manchester United could make a bid in the hopes of landing the teenager on a permanent deal. Sky Sports have been among the outlets reporting the Red Devils’ interest, and a deal would likely be worth a bare minimum of £50m.
There is also supposedly interest from several Premier League sides in Ben White, another defender who has struggled to get regular starting minutes this season. Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have all been mentioned in admittedly speculative stories, with Football365%20this%20summer.) reporting an asking price of £52m. The primary sources for these stories, however, appear to be largely unreliable.
Finally, there is every chance that midfielder Christian Nørgaard moves on, with Lazio, Ajax and Borussia Dortmund among teams said to have taken a look at the former Brentford man over the winter transfer window. Although the 32-year-old only joined Arsenal last summer he has seldom been used by Arteta and with rumours suggesting that the Gunners want to add a new midfielder to the squad this summer, Nørgaard could be squeezed out. Any transfer fee would likely be low.
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