Arsenal set for summer cash boost after transfer twist

Mikel Arteta has got his Arsenal squad trimmed down to the smallest it’s been in years, with the summer transfer window set to continue the culling with more players due to depart permanently.

All eyes are on who Arsenal will bring in to plug some of the gaps, with right-back, midfield and striker all on the agenda, as well as the possibility of some other arrivals. Already links have emerged regarding Renato Sanches and Fabian Ruiz.

There are also no fewer than ten senior players out on loan this season, with all but two of them due for inevitable conclusions. Matteo Guendouzi will sign a three-year deal with Marseille, while all signs heavily point towards Lucas Torreira joining Fiorentina full-time.

One of the other more interesting loan deals was the one sanctioned in the summer that saw Konstantinos Mavropanos re-join Stuttgart on a season-long loan. The deal included an obligation to buy, but one that would only be activated if the German side avoided relegation.

Arsenal set for summer cash injection after transfer twist sees Stuttgart agree to sign Konstantinos Mavropanos regardless of relegation

Unfortunately it’s looking bleak for Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side, who are four points adrift of safety. If Stuttgart were to be relegated then the clause in Mavropanos’ deal would become only an option to buy, considering the financial implications of dropping to the second tier.

However, Chris Wheatley reports that Stuttgart have an agreement in place with Arsenal to sign the central defender regardless of how their season pans out.

Stuttgart paid a £415k loan fee for the Greek international, with the obligation to buy in the summer worth £2.5m, but their desire to complete the deal irrespective of which division they’re in next season could hint to them aiming to make a swift and healthy profit.

Despite Die Roten’s poor form, Mavropanos has attracted widespread praise from across Europe for his own performances this term, during which time he’s even netted five goals. Interest in his signature comes from the likes of Borussia Dortmund and West Ham, with Arsenal’s insertion of a sell-on clause in line to pocket them another cash injection if a sale is made.

Said to hover around the 10% mark, some figures earlier in the season that Stuttgart would demand were as high as £25m – which is categorically not happening – but any future sale will benefit Arsenal considering they’re only set to pocket £700k in the coming summer having paid an initial £1.8m to sign the 23-year-old from PAS Giannina in January 2018.

Ideal scenario? Stuttgart get relegated, buy Mavropanos, have to sell him, and one of the bigger clubs in Europe pays a handsome price. Whatever it is, however, won’t be much.