Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wants to sell one of his “struggling” players, after landing his most recent signing.
The Gunners have had a slow start to the transfer window, with the Basque boss recently telling ESPN that, “Hopefully now it is going to pick up a little bit,” while discussing potential deals.
David Raya became the club's first permanent signing, as he triggered the clause in his loan move from Brentford – with the next move having been all but finalised, too.
According to The Express, Italy star Riccardo Calafiori's imminent arrival means that inverted full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko will be moved on.
The Athletic reported earlier this year that the Ukrainian has still not been offered an extension to his current contract, which ends in 2026. This is despite other major players of Zinchenko's standard being granted new deals.
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Towards the end of last season, Takehiro Tomiyasu was preferred to Zinchenko at left-back, with Polish centre-back Jakub Kiwior even selected for big games. The Express have referred to Zinchenko as “struggling” at times last season, with a turning point coming away to Chelsea, when the 27-year-old was hooked at half-time for more defensive solidity in the shape of Tomiyasu.
In FourFourTwo's view, this is a sensible move that Arsenal should make – and one that is critical if they are to improve as a selling club.
The Gunners have been roundly criticised for their inability to shift assets well in the past and given that Zinchenko is a versatile and experienced Premier League star, there's no excuse not to recoup a good fee for him two years from his contract expiry.
The Ukraine star is worth €38 million, according to Transfermarkt.
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Arsenal want defensive upgrades, say reports. The Gunners are understood to be working on a deal for Jules Kounde and have bid for Riccardo Calafiori.
Meanwhile, William Saliba is a target for PSG and Real Madrid and one star looks set to leave.
And bizarrely, Gilberto Silva has tipped Neymar to move to Arsenal.
