Arsenal to receive £200m in player sales as part of huge squad overhaul: report

Mikel Arteta
(Image credit: Getty)

Arsenal are currently in the midst of their most important transfer window in recent times as they look to close the gap to Manchester City, and things are certainly looking positive.

The Gunners have already announced the £65m signing of Kai Havertz from Chelsea, while details over the £105m transfer for Declan Rice are still being finalised with West Ham United, though it's expected to go through in the coming days.

It's not just transfers in that the hierarchy at Arsenal are concerned with, however, with player sales also an important aspect to consider. Indeed, future incomings will likely be facilitated through departures at the club, in order to comply with the Premier League's financial fair play (FFP) regulations.

Fortunately, Arsenal could be set to net up to £200m in selling players this summer, as Mikel Arteta looks to overhaul his squad ahead of the club's return to the Champions League next season.

Before the 2022/23 campaign had even finished, multiple reports suggested that Granit Xhaka would inevitably leave for Bayer Leverkusen. While the deal still looks likely, the Mirror reports that Arsenal want £20m for the Swiss midfielder, a considerable increase on the initial £13m mooted in May.

With Declan Rice joining, Thomas Partey's time at the club looks to have come to an end. Juventus are showing interest for the Ghanaian midfielder, but Saudi Arabia are reportedly offering £35m for him. 

According to transfer insider, Graeme Bailey, Saudi Arabia is the likeliest destination for the 30-year-old.

Kieran Tierney is also another high-profile star at the club who seems certain to leave this summer, after struggling to play enough first-team games last season. Newcastle United and former club Celtic are said to both be interested, with the Scottish full-back expected to cost around £35m, too. 

Elsewhere, Folarin Balogun looks surplus to requirements at the Emirates, despite the US international scoring 21 goals on loan at Stade de Reims in Ligue 1 last season. Those performances mean Arsenal have slapped a £50m price tag on his head according to Sky Sports, with the 22-year-old linked with Juventus.

Albert Sambi-Lokonga, Nuno Tavares and Nicolas Pepe all seem destined for the exit door, too, with Arsenal looking to bring in a combined total of £50m for the trio. All three players spent last season out on loan - at Crystal Palace, Marseille and Nice, respectively - and are all eager for regular first-team football.

Lokonga has been linked with a move to Burnley to join up with Vincent Kompany, while Tavares seemingly looks on his way to Galatasaray. Pepe, who cost Arsenal a then club record £72m in 2019, is entering the final 12 months of his contract and available to a number of different teams. 

The Gunners are also hopeful of selling Cedric Soares this summer, though the 31-year-old is expected to cost less than £5m. 

More Arsenal stories

Arsenal transfer news is ramping up this summer, with the Gunners set to loosen their wage structure to attract the best players.

Jurrien Timber looks to be next to joinMoises Caicedo is heavily linkedXavi Simons is on the radar and Ivan Fresneda could join, too. Romeo Lavia is in the crosshairs – though Liverpool also want him

Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.