Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar has reportedly dropped the biggest hint yet that the north London club still plan to add to their squad before the transfer deadline at the end of August.
Mikel Arteta’s side brushed aside Lyon 2-0 in the Emirates Cup on Sunday, with new signing Riccardo Calafiori enjoying his first outing for the club.
But the Italian full-back is the only new senior addition to the squad so far, while Arsenal have watched on with envy as Chelsea and Tottenham spend significant sums in the transfer market.
However, Edu has indicated the club are about to step up their efforts following an exchange with a group of fans on their pre-season tour of the USA.
Riccardo Calafiori made his first Arsenal appearance against Lyon (Image: Getty)
According to Sky Sports reporter James Green, Edu was asked about potential arrivals and he gave an encouraging response: “Be patient, you won’t be disappointed at the end [of the window]!”
Arsenal are expected to offload some of their fringe players before making more moves in the transfer market, having signed Calafiori from Bologna for £42million.
The Gunners have already sold Emile Smith Rowe to Fulham in a deal that could rise to £34m and retrieved the £8.5m spent on Nuno Tavares by flogging the full-back to Lazio.
Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson have been linked with Marseille and Leicester respectively, with the London Colney graduates expected to raise another £45m between them for the club.
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And that could be enough to hand Edu the financial power he needs to push through two more deals in the summer transfer window.
Arteta is keen to bring in another midfielder this summer to bolster his ranks and Real Sociedad star Mikel Merino is their top target. The Euro 2024 winner with Spain is available for £25m and has reportedly communicated his desire to return to England, following a brief spell with Newcastle in 2017.
Merino fits the profile of an experienced midfielder that can add value to his squad as they prepare for a third Premier League challenge against Manchester City.
The Spanish boss is also keen to replace Nketiah with a natural No. 9 but their chances of landing Victor Osimhen, who is valued at £85m by Napoli, are dwindling with every day as the transfer deadline edges closee
Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres is a target for Arsenal
Speculation persists that Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres is Arteta’s preferred choice. However, Sporting are demanding at least £70m to part ways with the Sweden international, who scored 43 goals in all competitions last season.
Ivan Toney has been previously linked with the Gunners as a cheaper option, although it remains to be seen whether Brentford would entertain a sale so close to the start of the new season.
Edu has made a number of well-measured moves in the transfer market and Arsenal fans clearly trusted their former player to acquire the players identified by Arteta and their recruitment team. But with three weeks to go, the 46-year-old transfer guru doesn’t have the luxury of time to ponder his options, with their Premier League opener against Wolves on Saturday.
