Arsenal in advanced talks over second major deal after Zubimendi breakthrough

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal squad is set to look a little different next season and the manager is working with the club's higher-ups to put the Gunners in good shape for a title tilt

A £51m swoop for Martin Zubimendi won't be the end of Arsenal's big decisions this summer, with the Gunners aiming to follow the new signing with a contract extension for one of their key men. Centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes' current deal runs until 2027, but Mikel Arteta's side are moving quickly to agree new terms.

Zubimendi is understood to have jetted in for a medical this week ahead of his big-money move. La Real's top brass have made a desperate last-ditch effort to change the midfielder's mind, but he appears set to link back up with former colleagues Mikel Merino and Martin Odegaard in North London.

It would be the first big deal of the Andrea Berta era, after the new sporting director arrived midway through the season. There's also work going on behind the scenes with Gabriel, though, with BBC Sport reporting that an agreement is now close.

Efforts are being made to accelerate Gabriel's extension to get one potential headache out of the way. His fellow centre-back William Saliba is out of contract that same summer, and the Gunners appear determined to avoid the risk of either player running down his deal.

Saliba has attracted the interest of Real Madrid. The Spanish side have already landed Dean Huijsen this summer, though, and it remains to be seen whether this impacts their pursuit of the French international.

Gabriel missed the run-in through injury, but is expected to be back in time for the new season. A hamstring injury kept him out of the Champions League knockout matches against Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, with PSG eventually eliminating Arsenal at the semi-final stage.

The club also had significant injury issues in attack, and there could be more investment there. Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres appear to be the most likely recruits, with Newcastle's Champions League qualification making an Alexander Isak swoop that bit tougher.

"We'll have enough time in the next few days to discuss the topics that you are probably suspecting, and we'll do it in the right environment. Today was just about the game," Arteta told reporters on Sunday after being asked about his conversations with co-chair Josh Kroenke at Arsenal's final game of the season.

He also addressed the club's attacking needs, saying: "In order to achieve that, a lot of things have to happen. The team has to provide, that player has to play a certain amount of minutes and games.

"Believe me, we are on it," he continued. "We will try to squeeze and think and turn every stone that we possibly can, to make this club even more successful. But I think what these boys have done, the team has done, regarding everything that has happened, I repeat myself, I think they deserve a lot of credit."