MONDAY MORNING NEWS: Saudi Arabia are set to hand Arsenal a ‘perfect’ transfer window after a whopping sum of almost £130M was offered to Arsenal in exchange for FOUR Arsenal stars- No other PL club earned up to 100M from sales this summer- Mikel Arteta to decide before Chelsea comes in
Arsenal may be hoping to replicate Liverpool’s transfer sales to Saudi Arabia in order to boost Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Liverpool have benefited to the tune of £52million from Saudi Arabia as they sold both their captain Jordan Henderson and midfield partner Fabinho to the Middle East recently, something the Reds’ rivals – including Arsenal – will likely have been envious of.
Both players are approaching their twilight years but were still able to fetch a big combined fee that Jurgen Klopp will be able to reinvest into his squad. The Gunners are likely to have to sell certain fringe players before spending again this summer after an outlay of £200m already,
and Express Sport has looked at four players that Mikel Arteta and Edu will hope Saudi Arabia intensify their interest in and fetch a combined £130m.
Kieran Tierney
Kieran Tierney has seemingly fallen down the pecking order the longer that Arteta has been at the club, as Oleksandr Zinchenko has often been favoured at left-back. The Scot’s quality has been clear to see but with his Spanish boss preferring a defender that is more comfortable inverting into midfield, there is the opportunity for Tierney to get more regular playing time elsewhere.
The likes of Newcastle and Celtic have been linked but neither side have stumped up the £30m asking price. However, that fee would simply be a drop in the ocean for Saudi teams who have had no problem spending big money for established stars such as Tierney.
Albert Sambi Lokonga
Albert Sambi Lokonga was left out of the US pre-season tour squad having failed to leave a lasting impression on Arteta and is set to leave the Emirates this summer, with Burnley the likeliest destination to link up with his former Anderlecht boss Vincent Kompany.
Though it remains to be seen whether Arsenal are intent on receiving a fee for the young Belgian as there is uncertainty over whether a deal taking Lokonga to Turf Moor would be permanent or a loan.
If it is the former, then Saudi teams could blow Burnley out of the water by helping Arsenal to recoup the majority of the £15m spent on him in 2021, Arsenal reportedly turned down a £7m offer in January from Monaco for Lokonga, but perhaps a fee closer to £10m could see them part with the 23-year-old.
Thomas Partey
Thomas Partey has already been the subject of interest from the Middle East following the arrival of Declan Rice, which has put the Ghanaian’s place in the team under threat. With two years remaining on his current contract, it remains to be seen whether the Gunners will offer him a new deal having already entered his thirties.
This year could be the last that the Gunners receive a handsome fee for their midfielder, most likely from Saudi clubs despite interest from Juventus. And a bid of £40m could be enough to tempt Arsenal to sell, a similar effort that took Fabinho to Al-Ittihad.
Folarin Balogun
Despite Gabriel Jesus missing the start of the season due to injury, Folarin Balogun could yet depart from the Emirates as he wants to be a first-choice striker elsewhere – and does not want another loan move after his impressive spell last season at Reims.
Inter Milan deemed Arsenal’s asking price of £50m far too high and instead have turned their attention to West Ham’s Gianluca Scamacca, though as one of the hottest prospects on the market he could be of interest to Saudi teams that would certainly like the idea of signing an in-demand Arsenal striker.
