Arsenal eye £46m triple sale to fund midfielder signing

Nonsense Arsenal Transfer Talk Ignores Logic

The timing of these reports from Italy are poorly timed alongside the more reliable words coming out of UK-based sources.

For example, it’s not out of the realms of possibility that Lacazette could sign a shorter term, reduced wage salary at Arsenal, as recently reported. A January sale would also realistically have to come at the end of the window, with Arteta unlikely to entrust the centre-forward duties in that month to Folarin Balogun and/or Gabriel Martinelli.

If Nketiah leaves as well, there are two 20-year-old strikers (one arguably isn’t a striker) to choose from while Aubameyang is gone.

As for Leno, it was revealed on Wednesday that Arteta intends to keep the German for the remainder of the season to provide cover to Ramsdale, as he is woe to go through another January window in search of a No. 2 goalkeeper.

Could any of the three leave? They could, for sure; especially Nketiah who it looks likely is going to be on the lookout for a new club.

But ignoring the possibilities of the trio being sold or not, the more glaring aspect of the report is the ludicrous £46m being mentioned. With those three sold, Edu’s aim is supposedly to accrue the €55m that Lille are said to want for Sanches.

Combined, Arsenal would be lucky to get £20m.

Leaving the current state of the market out of the equation, there are two strikers with six months on their deals remaining, one of whom has barely kicked a ball in 12 months and the other who is 30 years old and struggles to get past the 65th minute. No club is going to pay handsomely for either, not least since they can agree pre-contracts from January onwards and sign them for free.

Leno, meanwhile, is going to leave for a small fee considering his lack of playing time, age, there being a limited market.

£46m? Never in a thousand years. Sanches may or may not be in Arsenal’s scopes, but if they are to sign him the funding will not be made up from the sales of these three.