Arsenal transfer news: Wilfried Zaha, Jacob Bruun Larsen, William Saliba, Mesut Ozil

Gunners face battle to land Palace target and struggle to offload German playmaker

Wilfried Zaha scored against Arsenal in Crystal Palace’s 3-2 win at the Emirates in April
Wilfried Zaha scored against Arsenal in Crystal Palace’s 3-2 win at the Emirates in April
(Image credit: Warren Little/Getty Images)

Four Gunners left the Emirates for the last time on Sunday with Aaron Ramsey, Danny Welbeck, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Petr Cech no more after their contracts expired. So who might Arsenal bring in to replace them?

Zaha off limits

Parish is worried that were he to sell Zaha it would send the wrong message to potential investors and, says the Sun, make them “look more like relegation candidates than an upwardly-mobile business to those who are considering whether to commit £350m to the transformation of the club”.

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German tussle

Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal are in what The Sun describes as a “three-way battle” for Dortmund frontman Jacob Bruun Larsen. The 20-year-old Dane enjoyed an impressive season for the German outfit and that’s brought him to the attention of the three Premier League clubs. Capped by his country in March, Bruun Larsen formed a potent partnership with England’s Jadon Sancho in the Dortmund side and the Sun claims that they are demanding big money for the youngster.

Saliba or Tierney

Arsenal will sit down with Saint-Etienne “within the next couple of days” to discuss the possibility of signing William Saliba. The Daily Star says that the Gunners are desperate to land the centre-half, who is considered one of the brightest prospects in France despite being just 18.

Apparently Arsenal remain in negotiations with Saint-Etienne over a £20m move, and while the Ligue 1 club are reluctant to let Saliba go it’s believed they could sell him to the Emirates if he is loaned back to them for the coming season.

But the Star says that Unai Emery wants to have him in his squad next season and much will depend on whether Arsenal prise Kieran Tierney from Celtic. According to the Daily Mirror, the Gunners will up their bid for the Scottish defender after having their initial offer of £15m rejected, and they are now “prepared to meet the £25m fee being demanded by Celtic”.

Ozil snubbed

Finally, Arsenal are having no luck in getting rid of Mesut Ozil, reports the Daily Star. Taking their cue from Italian publication CalcioMercato, the Star says that the Gunners have offered the 30-year-old German to Juventus, Napoli and Inter Milan in recent weeks but they all “snubbed” the offer.

As a consequence Arsenal will now turn their attention towards Turkey “in the hope that Galatasaray, Fenerbahce or Istanbul Basaksehir will be keen to take the playmaker off their hands”. But with his £16.1m salary that will be easier said than done.