Arsenal ‘planning transfer raid on Ajax again for £40m star but must offload players with SEVEN outcasts facing the axe’
ARSENAL are reportedly planning another transfer raid for a £40million Ajax star – but they must sell first with SEVEN players facing the axe.
Arsenal have already been busy in the transfer market this summer, sealing the £105m arrival of midfielder Declan Rice from West Ham.
He became their third new arrival after the £40m capture of defender Jurrien Timber from Ajax and the £65m signing of attacker Kai Havertz from Chelsea.
The Gunners are currently in the USA as they continue their preparations for the upcoming 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
They kicked-off pre-season with a 1-1 draw against German outfit Nurnberg last week and will next be in action tomorrow when they face an MLS All-Stars team.
Despite his big outlay already, boss Mikel Arteta insisted on Monday that more new arrivals could be coming through the door.
He said: “Let’s see (about more signings), there’s still a lot of time left in the market.
“There’s a lot of expectations in some of our players, so we will have to see how things develop in the next couple of weeks.
“We will be alert, there’s still time to do things and there’s still time for exits obviously.”
Now the Daily Mail are claiming that he is interested in Ajax’s £40m-rated Mohammed Kudus.
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The 22-year-old Ghana international , who also has Brighton keen on signing him, is comfortable as a conventional central midfielder, playing more advanced or even on the right wing and his versatility has made him an attractive option to the club’s recruitment staff.
However, their report adds that Arsenal are “focusing on trimming Arteta’s squad before adding to their £200m recruitment spree”.
Sporting director Edu is now switching his efforts to getting some players off the wage bill “with Kieran Tierney, Cedric Soares, Nicolas Pepe, Albert Lokonga, Nuno Tavares and Rob Holding among those attracting interest” from elsewhere.
And the future of midfielder Thomas Partey has also been hotly-discussed over recent weeks.
We revealed that Arsenal are ready to listen to offers for the 30-year-old Ghanaian but will only consider serious bids in excess of £30m.
This fresh update states that they are not “actively looking” to sell him, but only a “huge” offer is likely to entice them into sanctioning his exit.
Interest is mounting from a number of clubs in Saudi Arabia, where Arsenal’s valuation would not be a problem while Juventus have also been linked.
Partey is one of the club’s highest earners on £260,000-a-week, but his contract is due to expire next year.
Although there is an option of a further 12 months to protect Arsenal against the threat of losing him as a free agent.
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