Arsenal transfer news: Gunners agree £45m deal as four exits in the balance

Arsenal have got most of their summer transfer business done long before deadline day but there are still a few loose ends for Mikel Arteta and the Gunners to tie up

With less than 48 hours of the transfer window remaining, Arsenal are likely to be less busy than most of their rivals. The Gunners have spent big and spent early, and been rewarded with a fast start to the campaign.

After winning 1-0 at Old Trafford in their opening match, Mikel Arteta’s side ran riot against Leeds in their first home fixture. Viktor Gyokeres scored his first two Premier League goals against the Whites, while new arrival Ebere Eze was presented before kick-off.

The Gunners face another big test on Sunday, travelling to Anfield to face Liverpool. The reigning league champions also have maximum points from their two games, though they have looked vulnerable at the back.

Eze is expected to make his debut in the match, and could even start with Bukayo Saka ruled out through injury. Martin Odegaard joined Saka in being forced off against Leeds, but he could be available to feature.

There will still be time for at least one new signing before the window shuts on Monday. We’ve got more on that in Mirror Football‘s latest lines from around North London.

READ MORE: Transfer news LIVE: Arsenal agree £45m deal, Man Utd offer withdrawn, Isak to Liverpool updateREAD MORE: Champions League schedule confirmed as Liverpool vs Real Madrid date announced

Hincapie agreement reached

Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen. The Ecuador international will join on a season-long loan, with an option to make the deal permanent for £45million next summer.

Hincapie will become the second defender to join the club this summer after Cristhian Mosquera. He was a regular at centre-back under former Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso but also featured at left-back on occasions when the German side used a back four.

The South American is just the latest in a long line of senior exits after manager Alonso left for Real Madrid. Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz both moved to Liverpool, while long-serving centre-back Jonathan Tah moved to Bayern Munich.

Martinelli going nowhere

Gabriel Martinelli will not be leaving Arsenal this summer. There had been questions over the Brazilian’s future after a busy summer, but Mikel Arteta has made his feelings clear.

“No and I think Gabi’s been a super important player for us and he’s going to remain very, very, very important,” Arteta said when asked about the prospect of the forward leaving. “The fact that we have options with different qualities is going to fulfil what we want because every opponent is going to require different things.”

When asked if he was worried about keeping players happy, he added: “Worry? No, I think the word is that I care that everybody is as happy as they possibly can be. That’s a big part of my job, our job at the end, to make sure that every player feels that he’s fulfilling his potential.”

Gunners still looking to offload four

Arsenal are still exploring exits for four of their frings players, but The Athletic reports that there’s a growing recognition some may need to leave on loan rather than permanently. While Jakub Kiwior’s Porto move looks to be a matter of when not if, there’s less certainty around Oleksandr Zinchenko, Reiss Nelson, Fabio Vieira and Albert Sambi Lokonga.

All but Zinchenko spent last season out on loan. Nelson stayed in the Premier League with a spell at Fulham, with Vieira at Porto and Lokonga in Spain with Sevilla.

There have been varying degrees of interest in the group this summer. Stuttgart may now have the funds to move for the Portuguese after selling Nick Woltemade to Newcastle, while Zinchenko remains an option for Marseille among others.

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