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Arsenal transfer plans leaked with chief Edu 'working on six deals'
Arsenal are set to continue spending in the transfer market after their plans were leaked.
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Arsenal sporting director Edu is looking to complete as many as six deals before the transfer window closes after the Brazilian’s private chat revealed the Gunners’ plans for the remainder of the month. Mikel Arteta’s outfit have already spent around £200million bringing Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber to the Emirates but it appears that Arsenal are unlikely to have concluded their summer business.
Club icon Ray Parlour opened up on a recent conversation with his former team-mate Edu, now running the recruitment department at Arsenal, as plenty of comings and goings are expected to be finalised before the window closes on September 1. All three new signings started the Community Shield penalty shoot-out victory over Manchester City and those following will hope to make a similar impression on boss Arteta.
Parlour explained that while Edu had to remain coy on which specific players were being targeted, he explained that four players could leave the club this summer while Arsenal are hoping for two possible further additions as the Gunners look to go one better than last season and topple Pep Guardiola's side.
“A lot of credit for these game-changing signings goes to my old-team-mate Edu, now working wonders as sporting director,” Parlour wrote in the Daily Mail. “He has a lot of contacts around the world and he knows what you need to be successful.
“I often speak to Edu and, while he can’t give too much away, I know he wants to get three or four players out. But they’re all under contract so he is working hard on that, with the aim of getting a couple more in.”
Arsenal are closing in on the signing of David Raya from Brentford as they are in advanced negotiations with the Bees, who would join as competition for Aaron Ramsdale while current number two Matt Turner would head out to Nottingham Forest for a reported fee of £7.5m, two of the potential six deals that Edu may have been referencing.
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The Gunners had been eyeing up competition for Bukayo Saka on the right flank with Mohammed Kudus previously mentioned, but the Ajax man is closer to a move to Brighton instead - while Gremio starlet Bitello has also been linked with a move to the Emirates.
With Turner heading out of north London, he could be followed by previous record signing Nicolas Pepe in addition to Albert Sambi Lokonga and Cedric Soares, while Folarin Balogun wants to leave but no club has met Arsenal’s valuation of the talented striker.
There has been talk of Pepe’s contract being torn up, while Lokonga could link up with Vincent Kompany once again at Burnley and Cedric has interest from several Portuguese teams.