Arsenal decide next transfer priority after agreeing Timber and Rice deals

Arsenal will now decide whether their midfield requires additional surgery following the £105million club-record capture of Declan Rice as Dutch international central defender Jurrien Timber also prepares to undergo a medical in north London following a blockbuster double transfer breakthrough. In the past 24 hours, the Gunners have now formally agreed both deals with West Ham and Ajax respectively and despite various hurdles and delays, both targets are now expected to be officially unveiled as Arsenal players by the end of the week.

Arsenal will pay a British-record transfer fee for Rice, worth £100m plus £5m in add-ons while Timber joins on a long-term contract until June 2028 for an initial £34.3m plus just over £4m in bonuses.

Alongside the £65m arrival of Kai Havertz from Chelsea, the deals will take Mikel Arteta’s total summer outlay to around £208m inside the opening month of the transfer window and more new arrivals could yet materialise before the September 1 deadline.

The Gunners are willing to pursue the signing of another central midfielder with Southampton’s Romeo Lavia among those admired, even if his £45m valuation is still considered steep by relevant interested parties which also include Liverpool and Chelsea.

Moises Caicedo also remains a player held in incredibly high regard by the Emirates Stadium hierarchy following two unsuccessful January bids but the Ecuador international is expected to join Chelsea this summer as Arsenal would understandably struggle to finance a deal with Brighton quoting £100m.

The sticking point for Arteta and sporting director Edu is that Thomas Partey, who Arsenal are open to selling this summer, is unlikely to be moved on unless a suitable transfer package arrives and his future could now be directly related to further midfield incomings.

There has been tentative interest from Saudi Arabia but Partey is understood to favour the prospect of remaining in Europe following background discussions between Juventus and his representatives.

Juve had viewed Partey as a potential replacement for Adrien Rabiot if the Frenchman opted to depart Turin on a free transfer this summer but he has since penned a new contract with the Old Lady, sparking doubt as to whether a move for the Ghanaian is still financially viable.

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Arsenal are now set to sanction the departure of Granit Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen in the coming days now a British-record deal has been wrapped up for Rice.

Following further talks between the clubs, the Bundesliga outfit have agreed to pay £21.5m for the Swiss international which is viewed as great business from Arsenal given the player turns 31, earns a substantial salary and furthermore, only has one-year remaining on his current contract.

Partey still has two years left to run on his Arsenal contract and further clarification on his future is expected within the next week.

Albert Sambi Lokonga is also available for transfer as he seeks regular playing time, something he failed to receive in north London or during his loan spell with Crystal Palace.

Speaking to YouTube channel Wonhee Hyung, the Belgian recently declared he was willing to pursue an exit this summer, stating: “I will try to go somewhere where I can play so that’s the most important thing for me – to have some games and play game after game.”

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Burnley boss Vincent Kompany has considered the prospect of a loan swoop for his former player but Arsenal would ideally favour a permanent transfer, or loan that includes an option or obligation to buy.

Sources also indicate Arsenal are willing to listen to offers for Folarin Balogun, Nicolas Pepe, Runar Alex Runarsson, Rob Holding and Cedric Soares this summer with the USMNT frontman valued at over £40m following his goalscoring exploits in France with Stade Reims.

Arsenal could possibly sanction the departure of Kieran Tierney if they receive a suitable offer and the Scotsman pushed for a departure but surprisingly, Newcastle and Aston Villa are yet to follow up on their interest.

Nuno Tavares is also set to hold discussions with Arsenal over his future after featuring for Portugal U21s at the European Championships in Romania and Georgia following his loan spell with Marseille last season. Marquinhos could depart this summer, either on loan or permanently.

Despite links to Jeremie Frimpong and Benjamin Henrichs, Arsenal are not thought to be pushing for the signing of a new right-back particularly after Takehiro Tomiyasu returned to pre-season training with the Gunners at London Colney following successful knee surgery.

After tying up highly-rated Ethan Nwaneri’s scholarship, Reiss Nelson (imminently) and William Saliba’s contracts are expected to be confirmed in the near future with verbal agreements in place with both players over long-term deals.

Meanwhile, youngster Brooke Norton-Cuffy is also being lined up for another Championship loan after thriving in Coventry City’s Premier League promotion bid last season.

A number of clubs including the Sky Blues are keen to acquire the services of the talented teenager for the 2023/24 season although the 19-year-old could be handed the chance to impress during pre-season.

Sheffield Wednesday had previously shown strong interest before the departure of Darren Moore but it remains to be seen whether the Owls will follow up initial enquiries following the appointment of ex-Watford boss Xisco Munoz.

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