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Arsenal interested in loan deal for Juventus defender Daniele Rugani

Arsenal are looking at bringing in Juventus center back Daniele Rugani on a loan deal, according to reports from Turin based Corriere Torino.

The report states that the defender is valued by the Serie A champions at €40m and hence the North London club are looking at a temporary deal for the moment.

The defender will be looked at with an option to buy at the end of his loan deal. But there is one factor that may hold up the deal(as per Metro) and that is the fitness of Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini who is injured right now.

The center back is being targeted because he would be a great addition to the team which has a defense that is on the weaker side. Rugani would be looking elsewhere to play first-team football as his club just signed Matthijs de Ligt and his chances will be reduced due to that.

Captain Laurent Koscielny refused to travel with the Arsenal team on their pre-season tour of the USA and it appears that he may not be playing again for the club. And also, Rob Holding is coming back from a long-term injury and cannot be expected to start matches right now as he needs to become match fit.

Getting Rugani to the Emirates would solve a lot of these problems. And the fact that he is being brought in on a loan deal means that there will not be a lot of impact on the budget that the Gunners have set aside for the summer. It allows the club to spend more on other players.

Arsenal have been quite active in the transfer market having made three signings so far. They are also on the verge of officially making a club-record move for Nicolas Pepe. Rugani would present a very smart move for the Gunners as it solves an immediate problem that the club faces with great young talent.

The defender will play with a point to prove as he will want to show that he has what it takes to succeed at the highest level. A center back like Rugani would definitely be a welcome addition to the Emirates and fans will be hoping that this deal goes through.

Sky Sports reporter claims Arsenal are confident of agreeing Kieran Tierney deal

Unai Emery

Kieran Tierney and Arsenal is a transfer saga that has been going on for some time but now it seems that a resolution to this is not very far away.

It is already known that the North London club have already had two bids rejected by Celtic but the Gunners are now looking to launch another bid that is going to the convince the Scottish club.

This was confirmed by Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol who has been one of the most vocal reporters in the Tierney deal. He said on Twitter:

‘Arsenal increasingly confident deal with Celtic for Kieran Tierney is edging closer. Still no official third bid but talks suggest all parties will be satisfied when it’s submitted.’

Tierney is one player that has been chosen by Unai Emery as the left-back that he prefers to deploy. It would greatly benefit the Gunners defense if they can get such a talented player to shore up their backline.

The 22-year-old is a rapid player who has the talents to make an impact in the opposition half. This will be very useful for the way that manager Emery likes to set up his team. The full-back’s play a major role in the way the boss likes to build attacks and Tierney is the perfect man to do that job on a regular basis.

Arsenal have been very busy in the transfer window in the recent weeks with them agreeing on a deal for highly sought after winger Nicolas Pepe. Apart from this, they have also recently confirmed deals that will bring Dani Ceballos this season and William Saliba next season to the Emirates.

Adding Tierney to this would make this transfer window one that the Arsenal fans would not have expected in their wildest dreams. It is great news that the club’s hierarchy has been looking at the defensive department and giving the manager the kind of reinforcements that he needs.

Hopefully, the Emirates club will submit the third bid to Celtic soon and a deal will be finally agreed by the two clubs. Tierney is very young so he should get to spend the peak of his career with the Gunners and that is something the fans will be looking forward to.

Official: Arsenal confirm that young forward Xavier Amaechi has left the club

Xavier Amaechi is one of the best young talents to come out of the Arsenal academy in recent times but it’s the end of the road for him at the Emirates.

The North London have now officially confirmed that the 18-year-old forward has joined German club Hamburg. Mirror are reporting that the transfer will fetch the club a sum in the range of £2.25m.

The fee could rise based on the way that Amaechi performs. But significantly Arsenal have not included a buyback clause in this deal that would have allowed them to bring the youngster back at a future date. Ornstein revealed a few more details on the deal:

Amaechi was being chased by some of the biggest clubs in Europe including Barcelona and Bayern Munich. His decision to move to Germany has some similarities with what happened to Jadon Sancho who moved from England to Germany and has firmly established himself for Borussia Dortmund.

The promise of first-team football from the German club is what has convinced Amaechi to leave the Emirates and move abroad. Though the winger is yet to make an appearance for the Arsenal first team, he is generally regarded as one of the best up and coming talents in English football.

His path to the first team is already blocked by senior players and now you also have two exciting youngsters in Reiss Nelson and Bukayo Saka vying for a spot on the wings. This makes it even more difficult for someone like Amaechi to make an impression at the highest level.

But many fans will be feeling that the Gunners should have added a buyback clause as they may lose out on an amazing talent. Such a clause would have ensured that Arsenal will be able to buy Amaechi at a later date for a much lower price than what he would be worth.

Despite losing a player as good as Amaechi, the club willl be confident that they have the youngsters who can step up and make a mark for themselves. The addition of Gabriel Martinelli this summer is a step in that direction.

It would have been nice to have Amaechi at the club but he is at the stage where he has to play regular first-team football. Everyone associated with the club will be wishing him the best of luck and hope he does well at Hamburg.

Arsenal will pay Lille €90m for Nicolas Pepe, medical next week

Unai Emery Arsenal

Nicolas Pepe is all set to make a move to the Emirates after Arsenal agreed on a deal worth £72m with LOSC Lille.

According to Express, the North London club got into the negotiations at the very last minute beating Italian club Napoli to get the deal over the line. The winger is going to have his medical for Arsenal at the end of next week.

And now a journalist from Italy, Ciro Venerato has given a few details as to how Arsenal pulled this one off from under the noses of Napoli. Venerato told CalcioNapoli24:

‘Mega offer from the Gunners: €10m signing bonus, more bonuses for the next five years, and mega commission to the twelve agents.

‘To Lille, the Gunners will pay €80m plus a further €10m in bonuses, so a total of €90m. Even the Blue [Napoli] leadership confirms the news.

Pepe goes to Arsenal and it is impossible to match the London club’s mega offer.’

The fee that has been agreed between the Gunners and Lille is a large one so it will be paid in installments. What Arsenal have been able to do is incredibly smart especially given the fact that they do not have a large budget to work with.

But the real clinching factor happens to be the commissions that will be paid to the agents. This was much higher than what Napoli were able to offer and that was the move that finally convinced Pepe’s entourage. Arsenal understood how the market worked and were able to steal Pepe from Napoli.

When Pepe finally does make a move to London, he will be all set to earn around £105,000 per week from the Gunners. He will become the fourth signing of the summer for Arsenal after the arrivals of Gabriel Martinelli, Dani Ceballos and William Saliba.

This is exciting times ahead for the Gunners fans who will be happy to see such talents move to their club. The thought of seeing Pepe combine with players like Ozil and Lacazette is a mouth-watering prospect. And the fact that the Gunners have been able to attract a player like Pepe without Champions League football is significant.

His performances in Ligue 1 last season had led to the biggest clubs go after him but to the credit of Arsenal, it is they who have signed him. Let us hope that the move is officially confirmed soon.

David Ornstein: Arsenal have agreed €80m fee for Nicolas Pepe, player to sign 5-year deal

Nicolas Pepe is one player that has been attracting interest from all over Europe and now Arsenal have moved ahead of everyone and are all set to complete his signing in the next 24 to 48 hours.

BBC Journalist David Ornstein confirmed via Twitter that the London club had agreed a deal in principle with Lille worth €80m and that all that is pending is the approval of Pepe’s agent. Ornstein said:

‘Arsenal have reached an agreement with Lille to sign Ivory Coast winger Nicolas Pepe for €80m. Paid by installments to fit #AFC budget. 5yr deal, agent agreement still needed but set to be closed in next 24/48hrs. Napoli also have an agreement with #LOSC but agent rejected the proposal.’

This is a very significant move as far as the North London club are concerned as they have beat out a lot of competition to land Pepe. Apart from Arsenal, the other clubs in contention included Liverpool, Napoli and even Manchester United.

Liverpool had the prestige of being the European Champions and Napoli had offered Pepe and Lille a very attractive financial package. But it is the one offered by the Emirates club that has made them bite the bullet and agree to a transfer for Pepe.

The increasingly likely arrival of the Lille winger means that this is probably the end of Arsenal’s pursuit of Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha who also happens to be Pepe’s teammate for the Ivory Coast team.

The 2018/19 season was a real game-changer for Pepe who went on to score 23 goals in all competitions for the French side. He is the type of winger that the Gunners have been crying out for a long time and it is a great deal of business for the club to have pulled out the bag.

Not many people would have really believed that Arsenal were going to sign Pepe especially as they did not have Champions League football to offer. But it is a testament to the club’s pulling power that such a player would choose to come to the Emirates. If and when the move is made official, it will be a status empowering move by the Gunners that will give them a real boost going into the new season.

Arsenal finally reach transfer agreement with Celtic for Kieran Tierney

Arsenal Stadium

The negotiations to bring Kieran Tierney to the Emirates has reached the final stages as Arsenal have agreed on a deal for the defender with Celtic.

This is as per reports coming out of ESPN Brazil who claim that both the clubs have come to an agreement regarding the fee.

A couple of bids were been made by the North London club so far but both of them were rejected by Celtic. We had heard some encouraging signs that the clubs were not that far apart in terms of a deal and it is good to see that they have finally agreed to a transfer.

This is good news for the club and everyone involved as it brings a hugely exciting talent to London. Celtic have been adamant that the North London club should be meeting their £25m valuation of Tierney and that too in a structured way the Scottish champions wanted.

Tierney is a player that has been earmarked by manager Unai Emery as the man for the defense and it is nice to see the manager get a player that he really wants. Defense has always been bit of a weak area for the Emirates club so it is encouraging that the club is recognizing its flaws and trying to rectify them.

The youngster is the ideal modern full-back who can combine attack and defense very well. This will be particularly useful for Emery who likes to make use of full-backs to provide width as well as build attacks.

Tierney has played more than 150 games for Celtic and his experience at such a young age has shown that he is a player that is worth investing in.

Arsenal have already been making moves in the transfer window as they recently confirmed the signings of Dani Ceballos and William Saliba. Though Tierney would be a more expensive player to bring in, he is one that will really enhance the squad.

The 22-year-old can secure the left-hand side of the Arsenal defense for years to come and fans will be looking forward to see him play at the Emirates. Given that an agreement has been reached, we should be expecting an official confirmation sooner rather than later.

Agent of Nicolas Pepe urges star to complete Arsenal transfer

Unai Emery

Nicolas Pepe, the winger who plays for LOSC Lille is being urged by his agent to choose the Gunners over other clubs that are in line for him.

According to reports in Italian publication Gianluca DiMarzio, an €80m (£72m) deal has been agreed for Pepe by Arsenal along with Napoli and Liverpool. However, Pepe’s agent wants a move to the North London club as they are willing to offer a higher commission.

Lille expect Pepe to return to training this week and it will be during this period that the winger will be making a decision on his future.

The deal for the Gunners has become a little harder to pull off as they do not have the lure of Champions League and if they manage to bring Pepe to the Emirates despite this, it will be a great deal.

After a stellar 2018/19 season, Pepe has become one of the most sought after players in the world of football today. The winger scored 22 goals in the Ligue 1 as he helped propel Lille to the Champions League. This has seen the biggest clubs in Europe chase the Ivorian and it seems that a resolution to his signature could be got very soon.

The Gunners attack is crying out for a creative presence on the wings and Pepe is just the kind of player that the club needs. Apart from that, he has developed a real eye for goal and shows how much of a threat he is going to be for the opposition defense.

Any move for the Ivorian will in all likelihood consume their entire transfer budget but given what he will be bringing to the club, it will be worth the investment. This transfer window will be closing on the 8th of August and to be honest, that is not a lot of time.

Arsenal will have to act quickly and if the words of Pepe’s agent are anything to go by, they have a real chance of getting their man.

They need to find the finances needed to convince Lille to part with their star player. Pepe would be a very exciting addition to the Gunners squad and fans will welcome him with open arms.

[Photos] Dani Ceballos trains at London Colney for the first time after joining Arsenal

Dani Ceballos

Dani Ceballos was the second transfer of this window for Arsenal, as he joined on a loan deal from Real Madrid.

The creative midfielder will be a great addition to the team and it will be quite something to see him link up with players like Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira.

And it is encouraging to see that he has hit the ground running already as he started training in London Colney. The official website had posted some photos showing the midfielder in action.

The start of the Premier League is not too far away and players need to be in top condition to succeed on the pitch. Ceballos is a player who has a real point to prove after his tenure at Real did not go the way he would have liked.

He has been chosen by the club as the replacement for the recently departed Aaron Ramsey. This is given further credence by the fact that Ceballos was given the No. 8 previously worn by the Welshman.

Here are some pics:

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Arsenal will be in action in the Emirates Cup on Sunday and this may be the first time that the fans get to see him play. For those who have seen him on YouTube or play in Spain, they know what kind of skill set Ceballos brings to the field. If you do not know much about him, you will be surprised by his dribbling skills and ability to break through the lines.

The North London club have done well to get such a talented midfielder without parting with much money. Fans and the club will be hoping that Ceballos is able to repay the faith that has been shown in him. It appears that Arsenal are not yet done in the transfer market even after bringing in a player like Ceballos.

The squad needs to be as strong as possible in order to push for a return to the Champions League. Players like the Spaniard would certainly play a huge role in that regard and it will be interesting to see how he is able to gel with his new teammates. It does promise to be an exciting season for the Gunners.

Arsenal confident of completing transfer deals for three more players this summer

Those in charge of the Gunners are confident that the club will be able to make more signings after they confirmed the arrivals of Dani Ceballos and William Saliba.

The deadline for the transfer window is the 8th of August and the North London club feel that they can pull off more transfers.

As per reports from the Independent, Unai Emery is confident that the club can sign as many as three more players. This includes Kieran Tierney, Wilfried Zaha and potentially one more player.

As for Zaha, the path to bringing him to the Emirates has become complicated by the sudden interest that is being shown by Everton who are ready to bid £60m for the winger and they are also willing to offer Cenk Tosun as part of the deal.

But despite the interest that is being shown by the Merseyside club, the North London club are confident that the club can pull off a move for the Ivorian.

The player wants to come and if the club is able to match what Everton are willing to offer, it will surely tempt Crystal Palace into selling Zaha. Apart from this move, another long-running transfer involving the Gunners could be set to come to an end.

Arsenal are quietly confident that they can get the deal for Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney over the line. The Emirates club have already made two bids for the defender which have been rejected but there is not much difference between what the London club is offering and the Scottish club’s valuation so a deal could happen soon.

Celtic are just unhappy with the way that the Gunners are structuring the payment for Tierney but once that is sorted, the Scot should be at the Emirates. It has so far been an encouraging window for Arsenal but there is still a lot of work to be done.

It is good to know that the club is working to bring more players in as that will only benefit the whole squad and what they are trying to do for the upcoming season. With the help of players such as Zaha and Tierney fans will be hoping that the club can finally get back into the Champions League.

Arsenal to submit €40m bid for Everton Soares, Player keen on joining

Predicted Arsenal Line-up

Arsenal completed their second and third signings of the summer and they could be all set to add one more to that list.

According to Brazilian outlet UOL, the North London club are getting ready an offer of around £36m(€40m) for Gremio winger Everton Soares. They are offering this amount to ensure that the Brazilian club accepts the offer that has been put on the table.

But the deal is not as straightforward for the Emirates club like it to be as they are facing some competition for Everton in the form of Italian club Napoli.

The good news for Arsenal is that the winger reportedly prefers a move to the Emirates instead of Naples, according to the report in UOL.

Everton was one of the stars of the recently concluded Copa America is which he was a big part in helping Brazil win the tournament. The player even went on to win the man of the match award in the final and also was joint top scorer to boot.

Speaking on the club’s interest in Everton, former Gunners striker Jeremie Aliadiere said:

‘He was quick and sharp and skilful but he wasn’t very strong and in the Premier League you need to be. I am not so sure that a winger is an area where Arsenal need to buy at the moment.’

Those skills were on full display for the Brazilian national team and that is probably a reason as to why the club are after Everton. Arsenal do not really have a skillful presence in the wing area and that has been hampering the way the club constructs attacks.

Unai Emery likes to make use of wingers but it is a shame that the club does not have any natural wingers at the moment. The good news is that there are a couple of exciting youngsters coming up in the form of Reiss Nelson and Bukayo Saka.

Everton would certainly be an exciting addition to this squad but the Gunners will have to act quickly if they are to go ahead of the competition for Everton.

The 8th of August is the deadline for Arsenal to bring anyone and that isn’t too far away. Fans will be happy with the transfers that have already been made and will be hoping that the club can add more players.