UK Edition
Arsenal prepare for player exodus in finals days of transfer window - will Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain be one of them?
Arsenal are preparing for a potential exodus of players in the finals days of the transfer window, with the club finalising the £7 million departure of Kieran Gibbs to Watford and prepared to sell Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez.
Major incoming signing are now unlikely but a combination of Oxlade-Chamberlain’s ongoing refusal to accept a huge new contract offer of £180,000-a-week and Wenger’s desire to reduce his squad has meant that there will still be significant transfer activity at Arsenal between now and Thursday.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s participation against Liverpool today is in doubt following his failure to agree a new contract and, unlike their stance with Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal’s attitude is that they are ready to sell rather than potentially lose him for nothing next year if the valuation is met. Chelsea and Liverpool are interested and preparing to bid but, as of Saturday morning, Arsenal had not received the expected £35 million offer.
The situation is likely to evolve imminently. Similarly, Arsenal are open to selling Mustafi if they can at least recoup the £34 million fee they paid to Valencia last summer. Inter Milan and Juventus are interested.
Mustafi may yet stay and Arsenal are not lining up any immediate replacement, despite their interest in Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk. They believe they have sufficient centre back cover in Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker, Rob Holding, Calum Chambers and Nacho Monreal, as well potentially as Sead Kolasinac.
One deal that is close is the sale of Gibbs to Watford. Gibbs has been at Arsenal since 2004 after coming through their academy, although any personal upheaval will be minimised by the location of Watford’s training ground in London Colney, next door to Arsenal's.
Perez is also expected to finalise a move away from Arsenal before the closure of the transfer window. The situation in terms of incoming players could change if key targets such as Van Dijk or Thomas Lemar became available but Arsenal’s feeling is that it would be better to wait until January or next summer in the hope that such deals become feasible rather than commit resource to what they would regard as lesser options now.