Arsenal: 14 summer transfer window sales that could happen

After just over two weeks of the summer transfer window opening, Arsenal have signed off on their first departure of the senior squad with Konstantinos Mavropanos re-joining Stuttgart on an initial loan deal. One down, plenty more to go.

The Greek defender leaving for a fee that could rise to £5m is pittance. Sven Mislintat will be rubbing his hands together like Mr Burns over a deal for a player who, on his current trajectory, could easily be worth £15m next season.

As fans sit and stew over just how much money Arsenal have, seeing players leave for such minor amounts – only £500k is upfront as the loan fee – can be slightly concerning for what is to come.

Ben White and Belgian midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga, if successful as expected, will set the Gunners back in the region of £67m combined. Hoping there is sense among the club hierarchy not to blow the budget in one fell swoop implies there is more of that to come, although the transfer pot will undoubtedly need the aid of significant player departures to help.

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Arsenal: 14 summer transfer window sales that could or should happen as Arteta switches focus to departures to raise funds for new signings.

Once the aforementioned deals are signed, sealed and delivered, attention will turn to the above.

An outstanding amount of exits have to be sanctioned to ease the wage bill and trim the squad for a season without European football, which is easier said than done.

It’s no secret that the European market has never been more primed and ready to raid. Clubs across the continent are in dire financial straits due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with Ligue 1, for example, even harder hit with their TV rights issues.

That opportunity presents itself to the wealthier Premier League sides, although it has the opposite effect when it comes to finding buyers for their players outside of England. In other words, Arsenal need to be prepared to accept lower than they’d like.

With sales taking centre stage, here are 14 players who could, and in some cases should, be heading for the exit door.

1. Bernd Leno & 2. Runar Alex Runarsson

Contract expiry: 2023 & 2024
Realistic transfer fee: £13-15m & £1.50
Interested clubs: Absolutely zero

Bernd Leno’s future is and will remain unsolved until Germany return home from the European Championships, which is unlikely to be anytime soon with England their next opponents (sigh) and then a similarly favourable run-in all the way until the final.

All the noises are that he wants a fresh challenge and Arsenal will move him on if they can, yet there has been precious little interest of note in regards to the 29-year-old. Borussia Dortmund have been fleetingly mentioned but nothing concrete.

Talk was that Arsenal wanted what they paid for him if a buyer entered the fray but across Europe you’ll be hard pressed to find someone willing to stump up the near £20m spent. A bit cheaper, yes, and if someone offered £15m you’d expect a sale to happen.

As for Alex Runarsson, the likelihood is that he will be sent out on loan this summer. What, however, is the point of that? He won’t be Arsenal standard anytime soon and with two promising goalkeepers waiting in the wings, especially Arthur Okonkwo, let one of the academy prospects take that third spot.

Costing £1.5m, it’s unlikely Arsenal will get a third of that.

3. Hector Bellerin & 4. Cedric Soares

Contract expiry: 2023 & 2024
Realistic transfer fee: £18-20m & £1m
Interested clubs: Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Inter, Real Betis & Nobody

Across the squad there are few players up for sale that will garner as much income as Hector Bellerin, who the Gunners are ideally hoping to earn around £20m for.

What is positive on the Bellerin front is that there is plenty of interest.

Already he’s been linked with a big handful of players across the continent, with the usual suspects of Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Barcelona seemingly no longer in the frame.

That can be indicative of his form over the past year, where he’s struggled to recapture his pre-ACL levels and has become an unfair scapegoat by supporters for much of last season. While he looks a shadow of his former self, much of the criticism has been unwarranted and he’s put in some strong performances here and there.

It is time for a change though, both for player and club.

The latest side to show an interest is Inter, who appear resigned to losing Achraf Hakimi this summer and if they continue to adopt Antonio Conte’s 3-5-3 system under Simone Inzaghi, Bellerin would be a perfect fit for the wing-back role.

As for Cedric, shifting him will be near impossible. No club will take his wages on or pay a fee for him, not least after seeing him fall so drastically out of favour at a side struggling all season.

Work will be done to try and make it happen, and getting Kia Joorabchian out would be ideal, but it’s unlikely.

5. Sead Kolasinac

Contract expiry: 2022
Realistic transfer fee: £2m
Interested clubs: Lazio, Fenerbahce, Olympiacos

One of those that won’t be forgotten in a hurry. Does anyone have any issue with Sead Kolasinac other than him being quite hopeless in an Arsenal shirt?

It’s unlikely, and while he was supposed member of the ‘bad egg’ group at the club, that never showed in his performances.

Kolasinac can’t be accused of not trying. Well, he definately can but due to him being regularly dreadful it’s usually the excuse he’s given: he just wasn’t very good.

Currently sitting on very comfortable wages, his loan to Schalke 04 didn’t work out as the German side were relegated, meaning he’s due back at London Colney.

A mutual contract termination felt somewhat inevitable, only for Lazio and Fenerbahce to throw Arsenal a rope in their hopes of accruing something meaningful for his services.

Some reports have stated Arsenal are after £3.5m, which in truth is very comfortable offer. If it’s £2m though, they’re unlikely to say no.

6. Ainsley Maitland-Niles

Contract expiry: 2023
Realistic transfer fee: £15-£20m
Interested clubs: Southampton, Leeds, Manchester United, Everton

Is there any way back for Ainsley Maitland-Niles at Arsenal?

Where it’s unfortunate is that, yes, there absolutely can be; he just doesn’t want to play at one of the biggest clubs in Europe in a position he’s suited to due to his own personal desires.

Fair play to him for that. But looking at the situation where he’s had to go and play under Sam Allardyce at West Brom in order to get his wish of playing in midfield – he made it into the England squad as a defender, surely that’s a sign? – maybe he needs to sit down and rethink.

That isn’t going to happen though, and a sale is surely the only way to go now.

Fortunately for Maitland-Niles and Arsenal, he was far from atrocious at the Hawthorns, and at least gave a decent account of himself in a dire team, that there is Premier League interest for his services.

Manchester United are among them but only see him as a backup right-back, with the likes of Leeds and Southampton possibilities for him even if the latter are likely to agree with the Red Devils’ stance.

He shouldn’t have much problem finding a club and Arsenal should be looking for up to £20m.

7. Granit Xhaka, 8. Lucas Torreira & 9. Matteo Guendouzi

Contract expiry dates: 2023, 2023 & 2023
Realistic transfer fee: £15m, £12m & £17m
Interested clubs: Roma, Lazio & Marseille

Bundled up together into one group are these three, for no other reason than the futures of the trio being unbelievably boring.

Granit Xhaka was supposed to be joining Roma before the Euros kicked off but Arsenal have, rightly, dug their heels in and told Jose Mourinho’s side they can only have him if they pay what the club values him at.

Will their resistance break?

Lucas Torreira it seems, finally, has found a suitor for his services. Above all other potential outgoing players, the unreal amount of excruciating speculative garbage that has come out of Italy about him being close to signing for every club in the country looks like coming to an end.

There are still slight disagreements over the fee but Lazio do seem very keen.

A very similar situation has transpired for Guendouzi, who has also found his new permanent home on the south of France and completed his part of the deal by agreeing personal terms with Marseille. The French club also want to get Arsenal to budge on their asking price.

The sooner these three get done the better.

10. Joe Willock

Contract expiry: 2023
Realistic transfer fee: £20-£25m
Interested clubs: Newcastle

Across all the potential sales this summer transfer window, it’s likely that Joe Willock’s will be last of all.

The midfielder would obviously prefer to have his future sorted out as soon as possible, whether that will be a call from the manager to say he’s in his plans or a face-to-face sit down to explain that the club are open to offers.

However, as seen with the aforementioned three, the number of outgoings in central midfield will force Arteta’s hand. It’s an area of the pitch in need of upgrading, and with Dani Ceballos already gone and Xhaka, Torreira and Guendouzi following him, the manager will be left with just Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny and Willock to man the fort – two of which are off to AFCON.

Willock’s issue, as far as his hopes of playing for Arsenal are concerned, is that he’s valuable. Very valuable. Has never been more valuable and it will take another season at the same rate he showed at Newcastle to keep that figure rising.

Lokonga will arrive to boost the numbers but is more of the Partey mould, leaving Willock as the only attack-minded midfielder of the lot. Finding a way to shoehorn him into a two-man midfield won’t be easy, although there is a place for him if a 4-3-3 is implemented.

His future is entirely dependent on what Arteta can achieve in regards to signings. Yet, if a club does wave £20m or so in the direction of north London, you do get the feeling Arsenal will accept it.

11. Mohamed Elneny

Contract expiry: 2022
Realistic transfer fee: £5m
Interested clubs: Turkey, maybe?

Similarly to Willock, what happens with Mohamed Elneny depends on what else can be achieved elsewherre in the transfer market this summer.

Not a soul in the Emirates can make a valid case for the Egyptian being anything more than bang average. Everyone knows he can be upgraded a few times over.

What he does have in his favour is contentment. Soon to turn 29 years old, Elneny cuts a figure who isn’t too dissatisfied with being a squad player. Whether third or fourth choice, he looks happy to be around the place, with the team, and will take his chance whenever it may come.

In an ideal world those would be very infrequently. All Elneny is above average at is keeping the ball, a trait most find easy when their desired passing option is the person five yards behind him.

But so what? If he stays and plays ten games then nobody will be overly bothered as he likely plays down the final year of his deal, and equally if a buyer is found and another body brought in to replace him most would be pretty chuffed too.

Nothing is clean cut in Elneny’s case so it’s one to watch out for.

12. Alexandre Lacazette

Contract expiry: 2022
Realistic transfer fee: £15m
Interested clubs: Roma, Sevilla, Monaco, Atletico Madrid

Does it look like Alexandre Lacazette is getting sold this summer? Still with plenty of time left in the window – and it’s always too soon to jump to conclusions – seeing him out in Portugal working on his fitness with Cedric Soares and the Arsenal physio doesn’t really scream of a man set to be leaving north London anytime soon.

And, of course, it’s early.

Where the issues lie with selling Lacazette is in the buyers. Atletico Madrid always felt like the side you could hang your hat on to eventually make a move, but having seemingly made a decision to sign Moussa Dembele permanently from Lyon, that ship may well have sailed. Especially with Luis Suarez still scoring for fun out there.

Elsewhere all those to be mentioned are Roma (who we know don’t have any money), Sevilla (who need to sell this window to balance the books) and Monaco (who aren’t backed by any concrete links). Getting the £25m Arsenal want for him seems incredibly unlikely. Impossible, almost.

But, what if, Arsenal swapped Lacazette for Houssem Aouar? Both are £20m(ish).

Hardly solves Lyon’s money issues, but heck, why not try?

13. Eddie Nketiah

Contract expiry: 2022
Realistic transfer fee: £13m
Interested clubs: Watford, West Ham, Bayer Leverkusen

The curious case of Eddie Nketiah took a turn when Arsenal decided to offer the striker a new contract not too long ago.

Under normal circumstances it would an interesting offer to ponder over and one the 21-year-old would very likely accept. This, of course, ignoring Folarin Balogun signing a new deal to essentially take his place and having spent the best part of eight months playing no senior football and then an injury crisis did hit, Emile Smith Rowe was chosen ahead of him for his first ever appearance as a centre-forward.

Nketiah should, and will not, accept the offer. It makes sense from Arsenal’s point of view as they can protect his value and try to raise his asking price with a 12 month loan deal elsewhere, but Nketiah won’t in his right mind agree to just delaying his career further and will want to move.

Watford and West Ham are keen, two clubs that would suit Nketiah brilliantly, both in style and geographically speaking, so it will come down to the best offer.

Hopes of £20m are a tad wishful, as those figures will only be met if there is significant interest from around. Unless a bidding war commences, which won’t happen and instead every interested party will have a price they won’t go above, it looks like £15m will be the most Arsenal can get. That’s pushing it, too.

14. Willian

Contract expiry: 29th century
Realistic transfer fee: Loan fee and half wages covered
Interested clubs: Inter Miami…….?

It’s a push. It’s a stretch, but if the opportunity arises it’s hard to envisage Arsenal being able to contain their elation. Nobody at the club could ever say no to an offer for Willian.

Not after the season he just had.

While in the grand scheme of things it really isn’t funny at all, watching Arteta react furiously to Willian’s only Arsenal goal to date against West Brom was a hilarious insight into the real emotions the manager has had bottled up.

Expectations were so high (internally) for the Brazilian that his atrocious campaign for the Gunners has gone down as perhaps Arteta’s biggest failure as boss to date. Everything about the signing has been a disaster; which sadly includes his three-year contract and horrendously high wages.

Is there any hope of him leaving? Precious few outside of MLS will agree to paying his salary nor handing over a fee to Arsenal, so the best that ca be realistically hoped for is a loan move with some of this wages covered.

Maybe there could be more, who knows. What is agreed is that everyone is crossing their fingers it can happen – and there needn’t be a replacement for a ghost.