Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is readying an offer for their potential seventh signing of the summer, which is expected to be placed in the next few days, according to a new report.
Following another season of near-misses, the Gunners have committed to backing Mikel Arteta once again, and their business so far reflects a side serious about ending their two-decade-long wait for a Premier League title.
The blockbuster, headline-grabbing signing has been that of Viktor Gyökeres, who’s widely seen as the final missing piece of their jigsaw.
|
Arsenal transfer spending under Arteta (via Sky Sports) |
Money on new signings |
|---|---|
|
19/20 – winter |
£0 |
|
20/21 – summer |
£81.5m |
|
20/21 – winter |
£900k |
|
21/22 – summer |
£156.8m |
|
21/22 – winter |
£1.8m |
|
22/23 – summer |
£121.5m |
|
22/23 – winter |
£59m |
|
23/24 – summer |
£208m |
|
23/24 – winter |
£0 |
|
24/25 – summer |
£101.5m |
|
24/25 – winter |
£0 |
|
25/26 – summer |
£208m |
Arsenal finally secured the Swedish striker from Sporting CP in a deal worth up to £64m, including add-ons, with Gyokeres making his long-awaited debut against Tottenham in the first overseas north London derby ever on Thursday.
Berta has been a long-time admirer and sees him as the clinical, physically dominant number 9 which Arsenal have seriously lacked. The 53-year-old apparently pushed to sign the 27-year-old over fellow top striker target Benjamin Sesko (Simon Phillips), with Berta finally getting his wish last weekend.
Gyökeres arrives off the back of another phenomenal season in Portugal, scoring 54 goals in all competitions, and he could be the difference between success and another ‘close but no cigar’ season for Arsenal.
Despite spending upwards of £200m already on fellow new arrivals Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke and Cristhian Mosquera in that order, Berta’s business may not be done.
Talks continue with Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze and his representatives, as per Fabrizio Romano, with Arteta keen on the England international who could provide more creativity, ball progression and a serious goal return from midfield.
Arsenal missed the deadline to trigger Eze’s £60m release clause, which expired on Friday at 11:59pm, but it was never their idea to activate it anyway, as Berta looks to strike a cheaper deal for him.
Arsenal poised to make “formal” Eberechi Eze bid early next week
Football Transfers have an update on the matter, after the outlet’s previous claim that Arsenal have agreed to pay £30m on a ‘first down payment’ for Eze.
Arsenal are now stepping up their pursuit of Eze, with FT reporting the club are preparing a “formal” £51m bid to tempt Palace, which would be made up of the £30m down payment and a further £22m to be paid over the next two years.
Berta’s offer for Eze will apparently be submitted “early next week”, so in the next few days, with talks intensifying behind the scenes and the Gunners ready to make their move.
Eze would be an ideal fit for Arsenal as a central playmaker, and a different threat to captain Martin Odegaard.
The “unique” forward racked up eight goals and eight assists in just 34 Premier League appearances last season. That’s a goal involvement every other game, and his creativity went even deeper than that.
Eze also ranked in the 94th percentile for key passes and expected assists, with 2.06 key passes per match (Footy Stats) – dazzling around the box and completing over two successful dribbles per game too.
Arteta’s side often struggle against teams in the low block, as evident by their goalscoring record in 2024/2025, but Eze’s proven creativity could seriously help to solve this glaring issue.
