There is plenty of work for Arsenal to do as the club enter the final week of the transfer window.
However, one target, who could have been the subject of that plan in Mohammed Kudus, is on the verge of signing for Premier League rivals West Ham.
Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun continues to be at the centre of a battle for his signature, with reports that Monaco are edging closer to finalising a move and putting an end to the saga surrounding his future. Elsewhere, reports in Scotland have offered an update on Kieran Tierney’s potential next move.
£22 a month
Arsenal and AS Monaco have reportedly reached a total agreement for Folarin Balogun.
Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne has taken a sly dig at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium atmosphere in comparison to other grounds in the Premier League.
"Even when it was not going well (at Newcastle), the atmosphere was still quite good.
"For Liverpool, obviously it's always a big game, but I feel like there's a difference when it's Champions League or a night game than when it's a 12pm kick-off. I feel like these two are a bigger atmosphere than Arsenal.
"Last year (at Arsenal) was much, much better. But it's been tough for them in the years before so it was less."
After Tierney’s move to Real Sociedad, Reguilón deal collapses. Despite long negotiations with Tottenham for their target there was no agreement between clubs Tierney will travel to Spain tomorrow in order to undergo medical and sign at Real Sociedad. pic.twitter.com/fnUmfwEbE7
It promises to be a very busy week for the Gunners as the window slams shut next Friday (11pm). Arsenal are expected to say goodbye to a number of players in the next seven days, but there could also be the possibility of another incoming.
As always, the 20 Premier League clubs will need to submit their 25-man squad to the Premier League once the transfer window slams shut. football.london understands that the deadline for that is at 2pm on Wednesday September 13.
That deadline comes 12 days after the window closes in England, meaning there could still be further movement of players leaving the Premier League for a move where the market is open for business - such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is in agreement with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp with regard to when the transfer window closes for the Saudi Pro League.
Of course, deadline day in the UK is next Friday (September 1), however, Saudi sides can continue to complete deals until September 20 and amid talk of Al-Ittihad targeting a move for Mohamed Salah, the worry for Klopp - and presumably other Premier League managers - is that they won't be able to sign a replacement if key players are tempted to make a late move.
"It's not cool for us, that's clear. If we want a player from Wigan, say, we go there and we pay the price," he said on Friday, as per the Liverpool Echo. "Same in Bundesliga etc. Now there's a next level and it's not great but this is part of the business. Not sure you can change that.
"What makes it impossible to deal with is our transfer window closes and they stay open. Then we play until Jan 1 and this is our squad, we have that problem. I remember something like this in Russia long time ago. That was not completely crazy money. It's new and challenging. I am pretty sure FIFA could [change their deadline] like this (clicks finger) but I am not sure they want to."
Brentford will demand £80m for Ivan Toney in the January transfer window amid speculation linking him with Arsenal.
According to The Times, the Bees aren't expected to let their star striker leave for cheap upon his return to action from his suspension.
Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that defender Benjamin Pavard wants to leave the club.
The France international has been linked with a move to Arsenal and Man Utd this summer.
Tuchel: “Pavard has asked for a move, but we really appreciate him — there must be a replacement”. “The request came to me very late, which surprised me a bit, we have to think of the interests of our club. As of now, I'll continue to work with him”. pic.twitter.com/CKSJppLyV4
The welcome news that Gabriel Jesus is set to return to action tomorrow, here's all the latest on the forward's recovery
Understand Kieran Tierney will travel to Spain on Saturday in order to join Real Sociedad on loan from Arsenal Medical tests have been booked. Here we go, confirmed.
Arsenal have made it to the third Premier League matchday with a 100% record after recording wins over Nottingham Forest at home and Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
There were scares in both matches after a late Forest goal on the opening day and Takehiro Tomiyasu’s red card despite a slender 1-0 lead at Palace yet the Gunners came through.
With the visit of Fulham, ideally, the Gunners need to start building up their goal difference. Fulham were well beaten at home by Brentford last week, and have lost Tim Ream to suspension after a controversial red card call.
Whilst forced changes are on the cards for the visitors, rotation should be on the mind of Mikel Arteta with such a squad he has at his disposal. Not only that, but his options have just got even more varied with the return of Gabriel Jesus.
Mikel Arteta has confirmed Gabriel Magalhaes' importance to Arsenal and expects a "busy" end to the transfer window. The Brazilian defender has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad this week.
When asked about Gabriel’s future following a hard-fought 1-0 win away against Crystal Palace, Arteta told reporters: “It’s about the games that we were expecting, what I was expecting, how we wanted to defend and attack and our belief it was the best thing. He’s played in both games, he’s helped us to win both games for different reasons.
"He [Gabriel] was really good, he absolutely dominated the box. He's going to play a lot of games.
"That’s the decision sometimes," he added. When pressed further on whether Arsenal would look to sell Gabriel before the summer window closes, Arteta responded by shaking his head.
Ahead of the clash against Fulham, Arteta was once again asked about Gabriel's future at the Emirates Stadium. Arteta replied: “Gabby is really important for us, an important player — there’s nothing going on at the moment.
"There are some movements happening. The last week is going to be busy - nothing that we can announce at the moment."
Arsenal are looking to sell Folarin Balogun this summer. Monaco are edging closer to securing a £38million deal to sign the 22-year-old striker - who has attracted interest from West Ham, Chelsea and Inter Milan.
Gabriel Jesus "is ready to go" against Fulham, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed.
After undergoing a minor knee operation that caused him to miss the Community Shield win over Manchester City as well as the two Premier League games against Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, the Brazilian was back in full training on Thursday and there were some encouraging signs from the session.
With the Cottagers being the Gunners' penultimate opponents before the first international break of the season, naturally there had been chatter amongst some supporters about Jesus getting some minutes under his belt in preparation for next weekend's showdown against Manchester United.