The spending at Arsenal in the last few summers has been that of a side with ambitions of finishing in much higher positions than they have recently been able to muster, a situation made more difficult by the lack of money coming into the club by player sales.
Edu is determined to try and change this considering the number of players who have left the club on free transfers or minimal fees. Meanwhile, Arsenal are pushing to strengthen the squad and will take their spending this window to over £100 million should they close a deal for Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Arsenal have reportedly agreed to an approximate £30 million deal with Mikel Arteta’s former club to sign the Ukrainian. The cost of the versatile midfielder and full-back can be justified through both his quality, age and utility.
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However, Edu has the opportunity to immediately halve the cost on the club by striking a deal with London rivals Fulham. The west London side are interested in signing Bernd Leno after the German international fell down the pecking order at the club.
Cottagers manager Marco Silva has identified Leno as the best option to start for the Cottagers as they aim to keep themselves in the Premier League. However, Arsenal rejected the first offer of around £10 million in the hope of getting closer to £15 million, according to CBS Sports.
If Edu is able to get the asking price for Leno it would effectively pay off half the cost of Zinchenko. The Gunners have further needs that must be addressed between now and the end of the window.
Both the midfield and attack may need to be further strengthened, with Youri Tielemans, Lucas Paqueta and a number of wide options having been linked with potential switches to the club.
However, with the club crossing the £100 million spending mark to get some of their other targets, ensuring that money is coming in from player sales could be pivotal. Failure to do so could restrict the club’s plans and subsequently the season's objectives become that much harder.
Leno joined a roster of players in the US who could still leave the club. Pablo Mari, Hector Bellerin, Lucas Torreira, Nicolas Pepe, Reiss Nelson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are the subject of potential interest from both England and abroad.
Edu has plenty on his plate but the little value in most of the potential departures means the timing of any exit is likely to take place in the latter stages of the window. Arsenal might be busy right up until deadline day but will hope it will purely be in the sales section of the window.
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