Arsenal quickly agree to sell three first-team players as part of a big team makeover
It looks like it’s going to be a busy day for Arsenal with plenty of player moves before the transfer window shuts on Tuesday night. The Premier League champions have already said goodbye to several first-team players recently, including Christian Norgaard, Jakub Kiwior, Leandro Trossard, and Reiss Nelson, who left by mutual agreement.
On the buying side, Arsenal have spent nearly £200 million this summer, bringing in big names like Bruno Guimaraes, Christos Tzolis, Piero Hincapie, and Ezri Konsa.
But now it seems like Arsenal will get some money back before the window closes. They are in advanced talks with Hamburg about selling Fabio Vieira for about £7.7 million. Vieira spent last season on loan in Germany, where he scored seven goals in 29 Bundesliga games. When Arsenal signed him from Porto in 2022 for around £34 million, many had high hopes, but he’s struggled to earn a regular spot, making only 47 appearances and just five Premier League starts for the club.
Arsenal are also likely to say farewell to Brazilian forward Gabriel Martinelli. The 25-year-old has scored 62 goals in 278 games during his seven years at the club and is close to joining Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal for roughly €65 million (£55.7 million). If this deal goes through, it would be Arsenal’s biggest-ever player sale, beating the £35 million they got from Liverpool for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2017.
Manager Mikel Arteta expressed his feelings before Arsenal’s game against Aston Villa, saying, “I think everyone knows how much we love Gabi. Whatever happens, it’s because we all agree on it.”
Gabriel Jesus looks set to leave too. The Brazilian forward, who has had injury issues and hasn’t had many minutes recently, is close to joining Barcelona for around £8.5 million plus extra fees. According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal gave the green light for Jesus to travel for his medical on Monday. He is expected to sign a two-year contract with Barça. Jesus has scored 32 goals and provided 22 assists in 123 games for Arsenal since joining from Manchester City in 2022 for £45 million.