11 Arsenal stars facing transfer exit as Andrea Berta bids to bolster spending power

Arsenal are expected to oversee a busy summer of transfer business and there will be a vast number of departures at the Emirates Stadium following the arrival of new sporting director Andrea Berta

New Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta will be tasked with landing Mikel Arteta’s top transfer targets this summer with a striker, new central midfielder, winger and backup goalkeeper all on the Italian’s agenda. But sales will also form a crucial part of the club’s business as the Gunners bid to maximise Arteta’s spending power.

As many as 11 players could be in line for new chapters starting with Raheem Sterling and veteran No.2 goalkeeper Neto, who are both set to return to their parent clubs Chelsea and Bournemouth, respectively. Then there are Arsenal’s out-of-contract stars, at this stage, midfield duo Thomas Partey and Jorginho are in line to exit north London with the Italy international in ongoing dialogue with Brazilian giants Flamengo over a pre-contract agreement. Much-loved left-back Kieran Tierney is also set to return to former side Celtic on a free transfer.

Internally, Berta has been tasked with improving the transfer fees Arsenal receive when selling players as in the past, they have been guilty of losing stars on the cheap and accepting offers below what they consider to be fair market value, though there was clear improvement last summer.

Oleksandr Zinchenko is expected to pursue a new challenge in light of Myles Lewis-Skelly’s standout breakthrough season and Borussia Dortmund were interested in the Ukrainian in January but never tabled an offer.

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Fellow defender Jakub Kiwior, who came off the bench early in the first half on Tuesday night in the 2-1 win over Fulham, is also set to depart in search of regular playing time. The Pole has attracted a long list of suitors from Italy with French giants Marseille also among his admirers.

Loanee Nuno Tavares is set to seal a permanent switch to Lazio for a figure in the region of £7.5m and Sevilla have a £10m buy-option for Belgian midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga. The La Liga club are keen to keep the ex-Luton Town loanee but are currently not likely to trigger the clause as they intend to negotiate slightly below that figure.

Should they U-turn and pay up, Arsenal would hold a 25 per cent sell-on clause that would entitle them to future profit.

Reiss Nelson could also be headed for the exit door but his current priority is returning to full fitness after undergoing hamstring surgery in February. The 25-year-old has made just 13 appearances this season while on loan at Fulham, scoring twice in all competitions.

Arsenal briefly explored the possibility of recalling Fabio Vieira from his loan spell at FC Porto in January amid their injury struggles but it’s unlikely he’ll have a future at the club beyond this summer. The Gunners had high hopes for the playmaker when he arrived for £34.3m in July 2022 but he has hardly set the world alight in Portugal this season, mustering just five goals and four assists. If Arsenal get the chance to recoup a credible fee in the coming months they will surely take it given Vieira will only have two years left on his deal.

There is also an element of doubt over the futures of Leandro Trossard and Takehiro Tomiyasu – but both could yet stay put.

The Belgian is swiftly approaching the final 12 months of his deal and was the subject of an offer from Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr last summer but the bid was rejected out of hand. Arsenal had planned to offer Trossard a new contract but an agreement is yet to have been reached, sparking speculation they could instead move him on at the end of the season to help balance their finances.

Tomiyasu remains rated by Arteta but has played just six minutes of action all season due to a knee injury and if he remains, he’s going to be down the pecking order.

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