It's shaping up to be a busy final few days of the transfer window for Arsenal.
The Gunners have already been incredibly active on the incomings front. David Raya, Jurrien Timber, Declan Rice and Kai Havertz have come in for a combined fee that's north of £200million. They are now trying to match that level of activity on the outgoings front.
Thus far their most significant exit has been Granit Xhaka who left to join Bayer Leverkusen for £21.5million in July. Matt Turner, Auston Trusty and Pablo Mari have all also left for combined fees that could total up to just over £20million. Meanwhile Marquinhos has joined Nantes on loan, Alex Runarsson has gone to Cardiff for the season, and Kieran Tierney's loan move to Real Sociedad was confirmed on Sunday night. There is still hope that more will follow though.
Folarin Balogun is set to be the first of those. The American international's permanent move to Monaco should be confirmed within the next 24 to 48 hours.
After Balogun leaves, Edu will turn his attention to attempting to get at least five more players out of the club. Rob Holding will be among them, with Arsenal open to offers on the 27-year-old. Reports have suggested that Besiktas and a host of Spanish sides are interested in Holding who would bring his seven-year stay in north London to a close. His contract currently expires next summer, although Arsenal do retain the option to extend it by a further 12 months.
Nuno Tavares' future is also likely to lie elsewhere. The Portugal under-21 international has had interest from Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen this summer, but this preference has been to stay in the Premier League. Despite that though a move to Nottingham Forest did not materialise. Aston Villa have shown interest but this is likely to be a loan. Tavares' contract currently expires in 2024, but Arsenal have the option to extend by a further 12 months. This would appear to make a loan more palatable, but the Gunners' preference is to find a permanent solution for the 23-year-old who is not part of Mikel Arteta's plans.
READ MORE: Arsenal confirm Kieran Tierney to Real Sociedad loan transfer
Albert Sambi Lokonga is another who is free to leave. Monaco have shown an interest in taking the Belgian international and had tabs on him before he made the switch to the Emirates in 2021. Brighton and Burnley have also looked at Lokonga, but neither have made an official approach at time of writing.
Nicolas Pepe and Cedric are also expected to leave. The pair have one year each remaining on their contracts, so loan deals look unlikely. A formal offer has yet to come in for Cedric although teams in Spain and Portugal have expressed interest. Pepe meanwhile has interest from Saudi Arabia, where the transfer window closes two weeks later than the Friday deadline in England.
One player who does not appear likely to leave as things stand is Gabriel Magalhaes. The Brazilian has had interest from Saudi Arabia, but Arsenal want to keep him. He has not started a Premier League game yet for the Gunners this season, but this understood to be due to tactical reasons rather than as a result of speculation over his future.
With regards to incomings Arsenal remain open. It will likely come down to who leaves. When it comes to the defence Mikel Arteta has stated that the Gunners will have to adapt by using the versatility of his squad members should the above players leave. That's not to say they will not still look to bring someone in though. There is also scope for the addition of a forward before the window closes, but at time of writing that does appear unlikely.
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