Arsenal to sell Balogun and others to raise Edu millions for transfers

There may still be four games left to go this season, but thoughts are already turning to the summer. Edu is set to oversee another busy summer as Arsenal look to close the gap between themselves and Manchester City.

Mikel Arteta is keen to bring in a central defender and football.london understands that Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi is a player of interest, while Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen has been looked at. The Gunners are also keen to bring in at least one central midfielder with Declan Rice understood to be the top target, while a forward player is also thought to be on the agenda.

However, as important as it is to get the right players through the door over the next few months, raising funds through sales is also key. Here football.london takes a look at some of the players who could leave the Emirates this summer.

Alex Runarsson

Despite back-to-back loans, Alex Runarsson is still a Gunners player. He's currently out at Alanyaspor in Turkey where he hasn't pulled up too many trees, keeping just four clean sheets in 24 matches.

There is no option to buy in the deal so when he returns in the summer he will most likely be the fifth choice behind Ramsdale, Turner, Karl Hein and Okonkwo. With just 12 months left on his deal, Arsenal will try desperately to get a fee for the stopper who is no longer part of Arteta's plans.

Cedric Soares

Marco Silva worked hard to land Cedric on deadline day in January amid interest from two other clubs. So far though he has found game time limited. The first time he was able to complete 90 minutes for the Cottagers came just this week in their 1-0 defeat to Liverpool.

Cedric is well-liked at Arsenal by Mikel Arteta and his teammates, but with Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu ahead of him in the pecking order, it's hard to see him playing much when he returns. The Portugal international will have just one year left on his contract come the summer, and may seek to secure an exit in order to play more regularly.

Nuno Tavares

After a promising beginning to his loan at Marseille, things have become harder for Nuno Tavares recently. Reports have emerged that the Portuguese youth international was kicked out of a training session due to a poor attitude, while fans appear to be turning on him.

It appeared that he would not be part of Mikel Arteta's plans going forward, but as things stand he's set to return to Arsenal, with Marseille's financial limitations making a permanent move unlikely. football.london understands that he is interested in staying in England if possible whether that's with the Gunners or another side. Regardless though it's hard to see a path back into Mikel Arteta's first team.

Pablo Mari

This one is already a done deal. Included in Pablo Mari's loan to Monza this season was a clause that would see his move become permanent should the Italian side stay up.

 

They have secured their Serie A status with five games to spare which means that Arsenal are set to earn €7million from the Spaniard. It's not exactly going to be the clincher in the Declan Rice deal, but it's certainly better than terminating his contract.

 

Rob Holding

The news of interest in Marc Guehi could potentially be bad news for Rob Holding. Having lost his place in the starting XI to Jakub Kiwior recently, the 27-year-old could be pushed even further down the pecking order.

Arsenal need a bigger squad for the Champions League next season and that could see Holding stay. He will have two years left on his current contract in the summer though, and although Arsenal have the option to extend the deal by 12 months, they may be tempted to cash in now if a good enough offer comes in.

Albert Sambi Lokonga

The potential arrival of Rice and Moises Caicedo could spell the end for Albert Sambi Lokonga. The Belgian had a promising start to life in north London, but it became apparent this season that Mikel Arteta doesn't seem to fancy him. This has been hammered home by the arrival of Jorginho from Chelsea.

 

Lokonga has been sent out on loan to Crystal Palace for the remainder of the season where he was doing pretty well. Since Roy Hodgson replaced Patrick Vieira at Selhurst Park though, he has started just once. At just 23-years-of-age he should still be able to fetch a decent price in the summer though, and Arsenal will hope to recoup as much of the £17million they spent on him as possible.

 

Charlie Patino

There is no doubt that Charlie Patino is an outstanding prospect. It seems that his chance of making it at Arsenal has simply been a victim of poor timing though.

 

With potentially two midfielders coming in to join an already congested part of the pitch at the Emirates it will be difficult for the 19-year-old to get the game time he needs at this crucial stage of his career and football.london understands a permanent exit will be on the cards. With his relatively low wages, Arsenal could well demand a decent transfer fee for Patino that could be crucial to funding a summer spree.

 

Nicolas Pepe

With the summer arrivals of Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira and the emergence of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, it was no surprise to see Nicolas Pepe head out on loan to Nice last summer. His form in France has been decent enough, with eight goals in 28 appearances. However, with Moussa Diaby being heavily linked this summer it seems the writing is on the wall for his Arsenal career.

 

The Gunners have no chance of getting a fee anywhere near the £72million they paid for Pepe. Getting anything for him at all could be difficult given his high wages, but Edu will want to avoid another contract termination if possible.

 

Folarin Balogun

With 18 goals for Stade de Reims, Folarin Balgoun has equalled Glenn Hoddle's record for most goals by an Englishman in a Ligue 1 season and has outscored the likes of Neymar and Lionel Messi. While comparisons to those greats don't do much for him personally, they have granted him a huge amount of control over his future.

 

He quite legitimately wants to be first choice somewhere next season, but with Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah and Leandro Trossard all performing well at the Emirates this season, it's hard to see that happening. Like Patino, his wages should be able to facilitate a decent transfer fee that Arsenal will hope to reinvest.