ARSENAL will have £150million to spend in the summer on transfers, SunSport can reveal.
The Gunners capped off their Premier League campaign by pummelling Everton 5-1 at the Emirates, but they missed out on Champions League qualification to rivals Tottenham.
And Spurs could also pip Arsenal to the signing of Gabriel Jesus who’s preferred destination is to a club with Champions League football.
Meanwhile, Bernd Leno is all set to join Portuguese giants for a reported fee of £8.5 million this summer.
Whilst Josh Kroenke has vowed to back Mikel Arteta in the transfer market, hinting at internal shake up.
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Sterling future uncertain
Raheem Sterling’s Manchester City future remains up in the air – despite his key role in another title triumph.
The 27-year-old acewho has been linked to Arsenal, enters the final 12 months of his £300,000-a-week contract after spending the last seven years at the Etihad.
And he plans to have a think about his future once he is finished with England duty in mid-June.
Sterling’s primary concern is that he continues to play regularly after he lost his place in the team earlier in the season.
While he won it back in the winter, he was left on the bench for both legs against Real Madrid in the Champions League and the final two matches of the season.
And he will be concerned the summer arrivals of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez will make the competition for places in Pep Guardiola’s squad even stronger.
Spurs target Arsenal transfer priority Jesus
Tottenham will let Antonio Conte bid big for Arsenal target Gabriel Jesus this summer amid a potential six-player spree.
Ex-Spurs midfielder Christian Eriksen is also on the list after his sensational Prem return with Brentford.
But Manchester City striker Jesus could cost £60million-plus.
The Brazilian admits his future is uncertain.
Frenzy over Kounde
Speculation over Sevilla defender Jules Kounde being in London today reignited talk of the Sevilla defender joining Chelsea or Arsenal.
Sevilla president Jose Castro admitted this morning the club are ready to sell players to fund new signings after finishing fourth in LaLiga.
And reports in Spain reckon nine-cap Frenchman Kounde is one of the likely departures.
It’s also thought Chelsea came close to landing the 23-year-old last summer.
Brazilian lawyer Pimenta takes Raiola role
Before super agent Mino Raiola passed away last month, he had one request for his long time ally.
The Italian, who boasted football stars including Erling Haaland, Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic as clients, asked Brazilian lawyer Rafaela Pimenta to take over the reins of his business.
It is she who is tasked with advising France World Cup winner Pogba of his next move – with a move away from Man Utd said to be imminent.
Whether he stays at Old Trafford or re-signs for Juventus, who are believed to have offered the playmaker a three year deal worth £6.3million-per-year deal, Pimenta will be at the centre of all negotiations.
In truth, she could become the most powerful woman in football.
For 18 years, Pimenta was Raiola’s right-hand woman – working by his side.
She was entrusted as a vital cog in his affairs, as well as a brain to lean on for advice.
Mikel: Nketiah, Elneny, Lacazette futures ‘decided’
Mikel Arteta has remained cryptic about the futures of Eddie Nketiah, Mo Elneny, and Alexandre Lacazette.
The trio are out of contract at the end of the season, and their futures at the Emirates remain in the balance.
But, it appears, the Spanish tactician already knows what lies ahead for them.
Arteta revealed: “It’s been decided, but it’s very difficult to communicate it. What they deserve is to have what they had today.”
Jesus admits ‘uncertain’ future
Gabriel Jesus has opened up about his future at Manchester City amid speculation over a move to Arsenal or Tottenham.
The 25-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Etihad, particularly since the Premier League champions confirmed the signing of Erling Haaland earlier this month.
And Jesus admitted everything is still very much up in the air heading into the summer window.
Speaking to ESPN Brazil, he said: “About my future, it’s still uncertain.
“I have a contract with City and I have already expressed my desire to the City people and to my agent. I have in my head [a very clear idea of] what I want.
“I want to celebrate a lot with City. It’s obvious that I’m very happy here.
“And, on vacation, I [will] decide about my future.”
Up to NINE Gunners face axe ahead of £150m spree
Arsenal are looking to scrape together £60million from an Emirates yard sale of players who no longer figure in their plans, writes MARK IRWIN.
The club are ready to spend as much as £150million this summer but want to offset some of that by selling seven surplus players at knockdown prices.
Matteo Guendouzi and Konstantinos Mavropanos have already generated £12.5million after being offloaded to Marseille and Stuttgart respectively.
Now Arsenal are trying to negotiate further cut-price deals for Hector Bellerin, Lucas Torreira, Bernd Leno, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Pablo Mari.
Arteta has told technical director Edu that he needs 22 outfield players to cope with the extra demands of Europa League football next season.
With Alex Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah both set to leave as free agents and Mohamed Elneny just signing a new one-year contract with the option of a further 12 months, Arsenal currently have just 16 senior outfield players on their books.
That figure could be boosted by the return of William Saliba and possibly Reiss Nelson from their current loan deals.
And Arteta is ready to allow promising youngsters such as Charlie Patino, Miguel Azeez and Omari Hutchinson the chance to cut their teeth in the Europa League group games.
But he still wants to make four top quality signings this summer as he looks for two strikers, a central midfielder and possibly another full-back.
Wolves prepare for exit of Utd & Arsenal target Neves
Wolves have offered Morgan Gibbs-White a new deal as Bruno Lage prepares for life without Barcelona, Manchester United and Arsenal target Ruben Neves, writes GRAEME BRYCE.
Midfielder Neves seems certain to call time on his five-year Molineux career after an emotional bow following his final home game against Norwich last week.
And the 25-year-old Portugal ace uese international followed it up by admitting he is ready to ‘live his dreams,’ following Wolves’ final game of the season at Anfield on Sunday.
Now Lage has made his first move to rebuild his squad by offering AC Milan target Gibbs-White a bumper new deal.
The 22-year-old enjoyed a stellar season on loan at Sheffield United where he scored 12 goals in 37 appearances to convince Lage he can play a massive part in Wolves’ future.
Fresh terms have now been offered to the attack-minded midfielder who was voted the Blades Player of the Season.
New Neym for the Bridge?
Chelsea are 7/1 favourites in a star-studded field to sign PSG striker Neymar.
Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are thought to be in contention for the Brazil legend, as well as Newcastle and Manchester United.
Talk of Neymar’s future has hit the headlines this week.
French newspaper Le Parisien claim the 30-year-old has been put up for sale after “direct orders” from executives Qatar.
Neymar has scored 100 and provided 60 assists in 144 appearances for PSG since his £200million arrival from Barcelona in 2017.
And signed a contract extension last year which keeps him in Paris until June 2025.
SKY BET ODDS ON NEYMAR’S NEXT CLUB:
- Chelsea – 7/1
- Barcelona – 10/1
- Newcastle – 14/1
- Real Madrid – 14/1
- Bayern Munich – 16/1
- Manchester United – 16/1
Arteta ‘pushing for £25m Youri bid’
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is reportedly pushing for the club to make a move for Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans.
The Belgian playmaker is out of contract at the King Power at the end of next season and has been linked with a transfer this summer.
The likes of Real Madrid, Tottenham and Manchester United, as well as Arsenal, have all been touted as possible destinations.
Arteta though has urged the Gunners to table an opening bid of £25million for the 25-year-old, according to the Telegraph.
Leicester though could play hardball despite the dwindling months on Tielemans contract and demand over £30m for his services.
SunSport exclusively revealed it could take as much as £40m to prise him away from the East Midlands.
Spaniard Arteta has singled out Tielemans as one of his top summer targets and is claimed to have carried out a number of background checks on the midfielder.
Pepe sale may fund new Saka deal
Arsenal have been tipped to sell Nicolas Pepe to help fund a huge new contract for Bukayo Saka.
Newly-crowned Serie A champs AC Milan have been linked with a £25million bid for the Ivory Coast winger – three years after his £70m arrival at the Emirates from Lille.
Credit: Getty And transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims Gunners’ boss Mikel Arteta is ready to offload erratic Pepe, 26.
A major reason is said to be the focus on keeping 20-year-old Saka.
It’s understood the 14-cap England wideman is frustrated at missing out on Champions League football but can still be persuaded to agree a new long-term deal.
Real ‘join Prem queue for Gnabry’
Real Madrid have reportedly joined a host of Premier League clubs in the race to lure Serge Gnabry away from Bayern Munich.
The 26-year-old is facing an uncertain future at the Allianz Arena with his contract set to expire in 2023.
It has been claimed that the Germany international has rejected a new deal to remain in Bavaria.
A Premier League return has been mooted, with former employers Arsenal linked with a move to bring him back to the Emirates.
Fellow English giants Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United are also all rumoured to be keeping tabs on the winger.
Meanwhile Gnabry’s ex-Bayern team-mate David Alaba is looking to persuade Gnabry to quit Germany and join him at Real Madrid.
And according to Sport1, Gnabry is open to departing Bayern as he doesn’t feel valued by the Bundesliga champions.
They state that Alaba has recommended the ex-West Brom loanee to Real, who are now eyeing up a possible swoop for Gnabry.
Sterling hopes take a pounding
Arsenal’s hopes of signing Raheem Sterling have been dealt a knockout blow following their failure to land Champions League football.
The Gunners were understood to be tracking the England international, who had previously enjoyed a prosperous working relationship with Mikel Arteta at Manchester City.
And the 27-year-old had indicated a desire to link up with the Arsenal head coach again with his City future up in the air.
However, following the North London club’s fifth-place finish, any deal is said to be ‘impossible’.
Sterling’s contract at the Etihad runs out at the end of next season.
Tierney absent from Scotland squad
Steve Clarke has named his Scotland squad for the upcoming World Cup play-off with Ukraine and the Nation League matches against Armenia and Republic of Ireland – and there’s no place for Kieran Tierney.
The left-back has been out since the end of March when he picked up a knee injury that required surgery in the last international break.
And although he was unable to participate in the remainder of Arsenal’s Premier League campaign, there was the hope that he’d return in time for Scotland’s semi-final showdown at Hampden Park.
However, the former Celtic man has not been deemed fit enough for selection, and Arsenal fans will now hope that he manages to recover in time for the start of next season.
Youri demand: Arteta wants Tielemans
Mikel Arteta is refusing to wallow in the misery of missing out on Champions League football, and is already making plans to go at least one place better next season.
Among his priorities is a new midfielder, and the Arsenal boss has identified Youri Tielemans as the man he wants most.
And the Gunners are now readying an opening £25m bid for the Leicester player, according to The Telegraph.
The 25-year-old has reportedly gone on record as saying he wants to play Champions League football, but Arteta is confident that he can sell the long-term project to the Belgian.
Tielemans has a year left on his contract at the King Power.
Gunners ready to part with Pepe
Arsenal will consider selling their record signing Nicolas Pepe this summer – but don’t hold out hope of recouping the £72m that they paid for the forward.
The Ivorian arrived at the Emirates in 2019, but has struggled to make a consistent impact in the Premier League.
The 26-year-old has scored 16 goals in 80 league games for the Gunners, but has found himself down the pecking order in the past year.
And it appears as though the former Lille man would welcome a move away.
Fabrizio Romano, writing for Caught Offside, revealed that Pepe had recently changed agents in order to actively pursue his options across Europe.
Top four failure ends Sterling hope
Arsenal’s hopes of signing Raheem Sterling have been dealt a knockout blow following their failure to land Champions League football.
The Gunners were understood to be tracking the England international, who had previously enjoyed a prosperous working relationship with Mikel Arteta at Manchester City.
And the 27-year-old had indicated a desire to link up with the Arsenal head coach again with his City future up in the air.
However, following the North London club’s fifth-place finish, any deal is said to be ‘impossible’.
Sterling’s contract at the Etihad runs out at the end of next season.
Gunners face battle for Jesus
Arsenal fans are reeling from losing out on Champions League football to Tottenham – and now face the prospect of losing out to their rivals again in their pursuit of Gabriel Jesus.
The Gunners have been tracking the Manchester City forward for months, and have even spoken to the player’s agent since the Premier League champions confirmed the purchase of Erling Haaland.
However, Mike McGrath at The Telegraph now reports that Spurs are interested in the Brazilian following their fourth-place finish yesterday.
Antonio Conte is keen to strengthen his squad for the next campaign, and has shortlisted Jesus, who is capable of either playing through the middle or out wide.
Good morning Arsenal fans
Despite recording a 5-1 win over Everton, Arsenal have missed out on Champions League football to Tottenham.
The Gunners will, instead, be playing in the Europa League next campaign.
This summer will be pivotal in Arsenal’s squad improvement, as they look to close the gap on the top four.
And director Josh Kroenke has promised major investment before the next campaign.
“On a recruitment standpoint I will always defer to Edu and Mikel but I know they have a blueprint of the type of player and specific positions that we need to reinforce heading into the summer,” he said.
“So I’ll defer to them and support them in every way that we can in their pursuit of elevating the quality of the squad and also ensuring that we have the right mentality of player coming in.”
According to reports, Mohamed Elneny has signed a one-year contract extension with the club.
The Egyptian international was out of contract at the end of the season.
Family affair
It was a family affair for Mikel Arteta at the Emirates today.
After the game, he was joined on the pitch by his three sons as the players and coaching staff thanked fans for their support.
All in all, it was a disappointing ending to the campaign for the Gunners who missed out on Champions League football.
But, a 5-1 win was the perfect way to cap off a season where improvement was made.
Morgan sticks the boot in
Piers Morgan isn’t Mikel Arteta’s greatest fan.
And the The Sun columnist has revealed where it all went wrong for his beloved Gunners.
He tweeted: “If Arsenal had sacked Arteta as he deserved after disastrous 20/21 season & losing first 3 games of this one, hired Conte & kept Aubameyang – we’d have come at least 4th.
“You can’t compete in the Premier League these days without a world-class manager & world-class strikers.”
Elneny deal
According to reports, Mohamed Elneny has signed a one-year contract extension with the club.
The Egyptian international was out of contract at the end of the season.
However, with injuries taking their toll, he was brought into midfield to steady the ship.
Telegraph journalist Sam Dean tweeted: “To be officially confirmed but… I understand Mohamed Elneny has now signed a one-year contract extension at Arsenal, with the option of another year.”
Real deal
Real Madrid have reportedly opened talks with Monaco star Aurelien Tchouameni in a blow to a string of Premier League sides.
Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea are among the teams who had been targeting the highly-rated midfielder.
Madrid will be hunting for high-profile summer signings after being snubbed by Kylian Mbappe on Saturday.
And journalist Santi Aouna reports that the Spanish club has been in contact and ready to make an offer.
Cryptic Arteta
Mikel Arteta has remained cryptic about the futures of Eddie Nketiah, Mo Elneny, and Alexandre Lacazette.
The trio are out of contract at the end of the season, and their futures at the Emirates remain in the balance.
But, it appears, the Spanish tactician already knows what lies ahead for them.
Arteta revealed: “It’s been decided, but it’s very difficult to communicate it. What they deserve is to have what they had today.”
Recruitment for next season
This summer will be pivotal in Arsenal’s squad improvement, as they look to close the gap on the top four.
And director Josh Kroenke has promised major investment before the next campaign.
“On a recruitment standpoint I will always defer to Edu and Mikel but I know they have a blueprint of the type of player and specific positions that we need to reinforce heading into the summer,” he said.
“So I’ll defer to them and support them in every way that we can in their pursuit of elevating the quality of the squad and also ensuring that we have the right mentality of player coming in.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
