Arsenal pushed themselves to the limit last summer with a spend of more than £250million, but only about £9million was raised through player sales. There is an acceptance that cannot be repeated this summer. Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior have already been sold for a combined fee in the region of £30million, but more must be done, especially with Vinicius Jr emerging as a genuine target.
Gabriel Jesus
Arsenal are willing to listen to offers for Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian has just 12 months left on his contract and the club have no plans to offer a new deal. Jesus is valued at £20million, and Arsenal have insisted that figure must be met for them to sanction a sale. The Gunners are relaxed about the situation and would be willing to lose Jesus for free next summer if the right offer does not come in. However, the pursuit of Vinicius Jr might encourage Arsenal to be more open to selling Jesus at a reduced fee. Getting his wages of around £250,000 a week off the books would help put together an appealing financial package for Vinicius Jr and Real Madrid.
Gabriel Martinelli
The future of Gabriel Martinelli could depend on what happens with Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian wingers are represented by the same agency, Roc Nation, and would surely look to find a new club for Martinelli if Vinicius Jr makes the move to north London. Bayern Munich have previously held interest in Martinelli. Arsenal should be able to demand a sizeable fee. The Gunners are not pushing to sell Martinelli but a significant offer would be considered, particularly if Vinicius Jr becomes a realistic target. There is a decision for Arsenal to make this summer, with the winger now entering the final two years of his contract on wages of £180,000 a week.
Ethan Nwaneri
A decision has not yet been made on what Arsenal do with Ethan Nwaneri. His loan move at Marseille could not have gone much worse but he is still highly rated. Thomas Tuchel called Nwaneri up to England's preparation camp ahead of the World Cup. However, there is no obvious pathway into the first team. As an academy product, any fee would represent pure profit on the balance sheet. Another loan would be the safest move, but signing someone of Vinicius' standards could necessitate more ruthless action.
Fabio Vieira
After spending last season on loan at Hamburg, Fabio Vieira has returned to Arsenal. Hamburg had an option to make the move permanent for £17million but opted against doing so, deciding instead to try and renegotiate a fee. Those talks are still ongoing, and Hamburg board member Eric Huwer confirmed the club's interest. “We’ve also backed up our interest with Arsenal with financial figures. If Arsenal says yes, we’ll be happy to have Fabio. If they say no, we’ll be happy to have someone else,” Huwer said.
Vieira is currently with the Arsenal squad in Spain for pre-season but there are no plans for him to be brought back into Mikel Arteta's thinking this season.
Reiss Nelson
Reiss Nelson is back with the Gunners as they look to find a solution over his future. He has spent the last couple of seasons out on loan at Fulham and Brentford respectively and will be out of contract next summer. There are clubs interested in signing Nelson, with Fulham among those keen, but Arsenal are unlikely to bring in a big fee. Instead, it would be about offloading his wages of around £100,000 a week sooner than if he leaves as a free agent. Arteta still trusts Nelson and he started in a behind-closed-doors friendly win over MK Dons, scoring the opening goal. However, Arsenal already have Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Max Dowman on the right wing, and Christos Tzolis has been brought in on the left. Vinicius Jr is also being targeted. There is no room for Nelson in the squad, and he is another player Arsenal are looking to move on.
