Arsenal transfer news: Arteta may see five stars sold amid Eberechi Eze chase

Arsenal's busy summer transfer window could continue with a deal for Eberechi Eze but focus is now turning to sales with five players potentially heading for the Emirates exit

Arsenal are back in London following their pre-season tour of Asia, with Mikel Arteta's much-changed squad now fine tuning ahead of a friendly against Villarreal at the Emirates on Wednesday evening.

And with a fortnight to go before their Premier League campaign begins with a trip to Manchester United, the Gunners continue to be linked with a deal for Crystal Palace and England star Eberechi Eze.

That, however, may require a number of players to exit the club and reports suggest five different members of the first-team squad could potentially move on.

Here are the transfer tales from in and around the Emirates to keep an eye on.

Five sales

Mikel Arteta could bid farewell to five of his squad before the close of the transfer window, according to the Daily Mail.

Reiss Nelson is the most likely to head off amid admiring glances from Fulham and his departure would see the Gunners’ wage bill trimmed by £100,000 per week.

Oleksandr Zinchenko, who earns £150,000, is also for sale, while Fabio Vieira is far down the pecking order but has garnered some interest from West Ham and Albert Sambi Lokonga is another allowed to leave.

Then there is Leandro Trossard, whom Arsenal want to sign a new contract but is on a shortlist of targets at Borussia Dortmund.

Eze latest

Eberechi Eze remains a potential addition before the transfer window closes but there remains a significant hurdle - the asking price.

BBC Sport now report that Arsenal have "shown no inclination of triggering the forward's release fee", with the Gunners looking to sell before they make any more new signings. The report adds that Arsenal value Eze at less than £68m and "want to negotiate a deal beneath the agreement."

Palace have so far been unwilling to negotiate a lower fee, but it is claimed that may change later in the window.

Gyokeres' respect

Viktor Gyokeres has refused to follow his agent in criticising former club Sporting CP for how they dealt with his summer move. The 27-year-old's Premier League switch was dragged out until last week, with clashes over a gentleman's agreement and a hefty fine issued.

Gyokeres, having established himself as one of Europe's finest goalscorers with 97 goals in 104 appearances for Sporting, always looked destined to make a big switch this window. He joined the Gunners last weekend for a fee rising to £63.7million, having also been courted by Manchester United, who he chose to snub.

"I don't need to throw mud at anyone," began the Swede, who made his first appearance for the Gunners against bitter rivals Tottenham on Thursday in Hong Kong. "I don't need to say what others have done or decided.

"I don't do that, even though there are people who seem to need to tell others how to behave. I'm not like that. As a footballer, you always strive to reach the top. I felt ready to take the next step, and I believe many people at the club expected that before the season ended.