Arsenal transfer roundup: Ceballos fears, Fernandes swap eyed, Lacazette latest
Arsenal finished their campaign on a positive note by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final, with attention soon turning to new recruits after the Wembley celebrations died down.
Not only did Mikel Arteta end his first season with silverware, but the club received a boost in future revenue, having qualified for the Europa League.
But there are still plenty of improvements to be made at The Emirates as Arteta looks to build a squad in his own image, with Arsenal having finished eighth last season - their lowest placing since 1995.
With all that in mind, the rumour mill has gone into overdrive over potential new recruits and departures at Arsenal this summer, with the next Premier League season only a month away.
Here’s a look at all the latest Arsenal transfer gossip.
FA Cup-winning duo set to depart
Next season Arteta could be without two players who were in his starting 11 for the FA Cup final win over Chelsea.
FourFourTwo reports that Dani Ceballos and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are set to leave the club this summer.
Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is reportedly keen on giving Ceballos opportunities at the Bernabeu. The Frenchman has been impressed with the Spaniard during his season-long loan in north London, while he’s also looking to bring Martin Odegaard back from Real Sociedad.
It has been widely reported that Arsenal want to sign Ceballos on a permanent deal this summer, but may struggle to do so.
Academy graduate Maitland-Niles, meanwhile, has attracted interest from Brighton and will reportedly look to leave in search of opportunities in his favoured right-wing position.
Arsenal pitch swap deal for Joelson Fernandes
Sporting Lisbon’s £40million valuation of Portuguese wonderkid Joelson Fernandes means Arsenal will offer a player-plus-cash deal in order to secure the winger's signature.
That’s according to a new report from the Daily Star, which suggests Arteta is keen to bolster the youth ranks at Arsenal.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Matteo Guendouzi, Mohamed Elneny and Maitland-Niles are four players the club will look to offload this summer, and any of them could potentially offer as part of a swap deal.
Fernandes, represented by Kia Joorabchian, has caught the eye in Portugal’s youth ranks, having represented his country at Under-15, Under-16 and Under-17 level, but he has only made four first-team appearances for Sporting.
Emery brings former Arsenal man to Villarreal
Newly-appointed Villarreal manager Unai Emery has signed former Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin from Valencia.
The 29-year-old midfielder’s time at the Emirates didn’t overlap with Emery’s, having been sold to the La Liga club six months before the Spaniard succeeded Arsene Wenger as manager.
After a difficult spell at Arsenal, Coquelin has rebuilt his reputation at the Mestalla - but has controversially been allowed to leave the club amid issues behind the scenes.
He has been announced as one of Emery’s first signings for the Yellow Submarine, arriving on a four-year deal for a reported fee of €13m (£11.8m).
Juventus offer player-plus-cash deal for Lacazette
Juventus will look to bolster their attacking options for newly-appointed manager Andrea Pirlo and have targeted Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette.
The Athletic report the perennial Serie A champions will offer Gonzalo Higuain, Douglas Costa or Cristian Romero in exchange for the France international.
Higuain would appear unlikely to interest Arsenal, given his high wages and unsuccessful half-season loan stint at Chelsea last season.
Costa is said to be deemed surplus to requirements in Turin, having been handed just seven Serie A starts in each of the last two seasons.
But with his Brazil team-mate Willian reportedly set to join, it remains to be seen whether Arsenal would be interested in another wide attacker.
Centre-back Romero impressed on loan at Genoa last season, but is unlikely to get opportunities at his parent club, who are well stocked in the defence department.
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