Arsenal news: Gunners still working on five deals despite £68m deadline passing

Arsenal begin their Premier League campaign against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday but are still working on deals to strengthen Mikel Arteta's squad

Arsenal are about to start their Premier League campaign, with just two days until they face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, and their squad is now fairly settled.

The Gunners have been busy in the summer transfer window, signing Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera and Viktor Gyokeres to bolster Mikel Arteta’s squad.

It is hoped that the reinforcements can help turn Arsenal from perennial runners-up to Premier League champions for the first time since 2004. Nevertheless, there are still a few weeks left until the window closes for business on September 1 – and Arsenal aren’t done yet.

Attention has now turned to offloading a few unwanted players, with the hope that those funds can then be reinvested in more arrivals. Here Mirror Football looks at the possibilities.

Eze deadline passes

Arsenal have been interested in signing Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze this summer. And they know that Eze, who spent time in Arsenal's academy as a youngster, is interested in moving north of the river.

However, things have gone quiet and the Gunners have now missed out on the chance of triggering Eze’s £68million release clause. It is understood that the clause expires today and Tottenham are in pole position to sign the England star.

Spurs are preparing a bid in the region of the £55m fee they paid West Ham for Mohammed Kudus, according to talkSPORT, and Arsenal aren’t expected to challenge. They have cooled their interest, with Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman’s breakthroughs providing back-up for Martin Odegaard in attacking midfield.

Five sales in the works

Sporting director Andrea Berta has been busy since arriving from Atletico Madrid. But he still has lots of work left to do – and most of that now concerns player sales, rather than signings.

The Gunners have only generated a mere £8.57m through player sales after flogging left-back Nuno Tavares to Lazio and Marquinhos to Cruzeiro. They lag way behind the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool in that respect and the need is growing as the clock ticks down to the end of the month.

Arteta’s side must find buyers for the likes of Leandro Trossard, Fabio Vieira, Reiss Nelson, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Karl Hein. Vieira and Nelson are at the front of the queue right now, with Stuttgart interested in the former and Fulham the latter.

Norgaard transfer surprise

Arsenal paid £12m to sign Norgaard from Brentford at the start of July, with his arrival sparking some surprise. Norgaard had spent six years with the Bees, rising to take the captaincy, but to some didn’t appear to be of the calibre of Arsenal.

It seems that the deal took some inside Brentford by surprise too, with his team-mate at club and international level Mikkel Damgaard explaining the reaction.

“Yes, you could say that it was a bit surprising,” Damsgaard told Viaplay. “He really deserved it with how he played last season. I don’t know if it’s an underrated signing, but I really think it’s a really good signing for Arsenal. He’s a player who just has a lot of quality and works really hard.”