Arsenal transfer news LIVE: Houssem Aouar, Thomas Partey, Boubakary Soumare – plus Premier League latest
The Gunners appear to be making progress to boost Mikel Arteta’s squad before the deadline on Monday
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Your support makes all the difference.Arsenal have just three days to strengthen Mikel Arteta’s squad after defeating Liverpool again on the pitch to prove the progress taking place under the Spaniard. The summer transfer window shuts on 5 October, with the penalty shoot-out win further boosting morale at the club, but now the Gunners must strengthen after the champions exposed their limitations in the first of the two recent meetings between the sides.
Midfield is still seen as the key area to strengthen and the lengthy pursuits of Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey and Lyon’s Houssem Aouar are ongoing. Sales are needed to fund those moves however, and Lucas Torreira is seemingly on the verge of joining Atletico, while Matteo Guendouzi and Mesut Ozil are seen as expendable but lack suitors. A cheaper alternative midfield target for Arsenal is Boubakary Soumare, with Lille ready to sell imminently.
Elsewhere, Sead Kolasinac could be heading to Borussia Dortmund, while Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe could earn loan moves to further develop with increased game time not available at the Emirates. Premier League clubs are thought to be keen on the youngsters. And in defence, Shkodran Mustafi, Sokratis and Calum Chambers also appear to be available as the Gunners look to cut their squad down. Follow all the latest transfer news, rumours and done deals:
PLAY CEBALLOS FURTHER FORWARD SAYS WRIGHT
Arsenal legend believes that Mikel Arteta should play Dani Ceballos in a more advanced position.
“Like I say the creativity from the midfield is a problem at the moment, the sooner they can sort that out the better,’” Wright told Premier League Productions in the aftermath of Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield.
“I think Dani Ceballos can play a bit further up and push on, especially if we’re going to player a counter-attacking style.
“You cannot play a game and not get a guy as potent as Aubameyang in the game and get him some chances.
“Mikel [Arteta] has to do something to get him into it. Unfortunately with Xhaka and Elneny – yes they can take the ball from the centre halves – but they can’t progress it into the forward areas.
” We didn’t keep the ball at all today. That’s what Mikel has got to worry about.”
TORREIRA DEAL INCHES CLOSER
Lucas Torreira’s move to Atletico Madrid has inched closer after a ‘positive’ meeting between the Spanish giants and his agent, according to Fabrizio Romano.
LYON PRESIDENT DEMANDS DEAL BY FRIDAY
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas wants any deal for midfielder Houssem Aouar finalised by Friday.
Arsenal have been locked in talks with the Ligue 1 side for weeks over a deal. A first bid was rejected last week, but the Premier League side are expected to return with another offer.
However Aulas has warned that if a deal isn’t agreed upon by Friday, it won’t happen at all.
“From Friday evening, when Rudi [Garcia] will choose his squad vs Marseille, there will be no departures,” Aulas said.
“We could see ourselves lose two players.”
ARSENAL DEFENDER REJECTS FULHAM MOVE
Arsenal’s Sokratis Papastathopoulos has rejected a move to Fulham, reports Football Insider.
The Greece international has less than a year to run on his current deal at the Emirates, and has fallen down the pecking order at the club since the arrival of Mikel Arteta.
A proposed move to Napoli looks unlikely due to Kalidou Koulibaly remaining at the Neapolitan outfit.
Football Insider claims that Fulham have come forward with an offer for the defender, but this has been rejected by the player.
BARCELONA OPEN TALKS FOR GARCIA
Barcelona and Manchester City have opened talks over Eric Garcia, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Garcia, a Barca youth product, has been at City since 2017, and his contract expires next June.
Romano believes that the two clubs have opened talks with a view to taking Garcia back to Spain next summer.
SPURS CLOSE IN ON BENFICA STRIKER
Tottenham are set to complete the signing highly-rated Benfica striker Carlos Vinicius.
Tottenham have been on the lookout for another striker throughout the transfer window, with boss Jose Mourinho desperate for a back-up to Harry Kane amidst a fixture pile-up due to European commitments.
Spurs had been linked to a host of strikers, including Torino’s Andrea Belotti and Southampton’s Danny Ings.
Tottenham are expected to sign the 25-year-old on a season-long loan with an option to buy for £36million.
NEWCASTLE MAKE RUGANI OFFER
Newcastle have made a bid for Juventus defender Daniele Rugani, according to a report in Italy.
Rugani has failed to shine since arriving from Empoli several years ago, and is thought to he surplus to requirements in Turin.
Valencia have also shown an intertest in the defender, but they only want to take Rugani on a season-long loan.
Newcastle meanwhile are believed to have made a formal offer for the player either last night or this morning.
It’s thought that they’ve offered to take Rugani on loan with an option to buy, which is more appealing to Juventus.
TORREIRA DEAL PRACTICALLY DONE
Arsenal’s Lucas Torreira seems almost certain to sign for Atletico Madrid by the end of the week, according to a report in Italy.
Tuttomercatoweb speculates that Torreira’s move to the Spanish side is practically done, and could be announced by the end of the week.
The figures involved in the deal are unknown at this stage.
‘LIVERPOOL LEVEL WE HAVE TO REACH’ SAYS ARTETA
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says Liverpool are the standard that his side needs to reach, as the two sides clash again for the second time this week.
The pair met on Monday in the league, with Liverpool emerging victorious 3-1.
Speaking ahead of tonight’s Carabao Cup game, Arteta admitted Liverpool are the standard to which Arsenal must aspire to:
“I am happy that we competed throughout the game and I think there are a lot of things that we can do better – and we will do better – and that’s going to help us so much in the process,” Arteta told Arsenal.com.
“We tried and they believed. That’s what I asked of them before the game, to believe.
“To play here with character and to play our way and now we just accept that they were better and that they are better at the moment and that we have to improve.
“This is the level that we have to reach. We will come back on Thursday and try to win again.”
KLOPP PRAISES ARSENAL SQUAD
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has heaped praise on the Arsenal squad ahead of their Carabao Cup clash tonight.
The pair will meet for the second time in three days, having already squared-off in the Premier League on Monday.
The Reds won that encounter 3-1.
Speaking to the official Liverpool website, Klopp praised Mikel Arteta’s players:
Again, without sounding like an Arsenal fan, I really love their squad and I love what they do at the moment. But I love us more.
I love what we do. I love what we stand for and how we approach our work. I love the humility of our approach and our commitment to be better in each given moment.
Our supporters expect and deserve each Liverpool team that is selected to represent them in a way that makes them proud. That’s our task tonight. We do not have fans with us at Anfield in person but they are with us still from a distance.
We know they show the same commitment while watching whichever competition we play in and we will match that with our approach. Again, we can’t promise a result but we can do our best and give all we have.
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