Four Arsenal transfers could be completed before Man Utd clash as secret deadline approaches

Andrea Berta is in a race against time to bolster Arsenal's squad before the opening weekend of the new Premier League season. The transfer window doesn't shut until September 1, but Mikel Arteta will want any remaining business wrapped up before the Gunners face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

Arsenal have one of the steepest net spends in the Premier League, having forked out almost £200m on players while recuperating just £7m, yet they've shown no sign of slowing down. Eberechi Eze, in particular, continues to be heavily linked with a move to north London, with the Gunners and Tottenham Hotspur both keen to secure his signature.

football.london understands that Arsenal are interested in signing the Crystal Palace star, with Arteta said to be a big fan. Eze has always preferred a move to the Emirates Stadium but, with Berta recently focused on outgoings, the door was left open for Spurs to swoop in.

It's understood that the England international has a release clause, which is worth £67.5m and expires before the start of the 2025/26 campaign, in his contract at Selhurst Park. Eze's current deal in south London doesn't run out until June 2027.

It's said that Palace want at least £35m up front in any deal, but this would not change the 27-year-old's total valuation. Any move for Eze is thought to be separate from the potential sales of Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, who each face somewhat uncertain futures.

That said, Arsenal would look to move on Fabio Vieira, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Karl Hein to free up space on the wage bill and remain compliant with spending rules.

As it stands, it remains to be seen whether or not the Gunners will sign Eze – or even offload the aforementioned trio – this summer. That said, if Arteta wants a new forward in his squad for the United clash, then Berta will have to pull his finger out.

Page 275 of the Premier League rules handbook states that a player must be registered by midday on the last working day before the date of the first match in which the club making the application intends him to play. So, with Arsenal facing Ruben Amorim's side on Sunday afternoon, Eze would have to be registered by 12 noon on Friday to be eligible for the clash.

The deadline for Liverpool and Bournemouth, however, was midday on Thursday as they kick off at Anfield on Friday night. Of course, Premier League clubs will still have the chance to sign players beyond this weekend, with the transfer window not set to shut until September 1.

Earlier this month, Arteta claimed there's a 'big belief' within his squad they can be successful this season. In his programme notes ahead of Arsenal's pre-season friendly against Villarreal, the Gunners boss wrote: "These new arrivals all add quality and depth to the squad, which is what we are going to need throughout the season ahead.

"We know what our targets are and what we want to achieve this season – there is a big belief in our ability to achieve that. We have been very, very close the last few seasons and the whole team is going to determine whether we achieve that or not.

"But at the same time, we have to make sure that we don't lose sight of what we have to do on a daily basis to get to the levels that we want. We have to set the demands that we want within this goal, because that's the most important thing.

"The internal demands have to always exceed any external demand. That is what we are trying to achieve every single day..."

Story Saved

You can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.