Arsenal's Summer Transfer Plans: Key Departures and Arrivals

Arsenal’s summer plans are already in motion. The champions are not just tinkering at the edges; they are reshaping a squad designed to defend their Premier League crown and finally conquer Europe after falling at the last hurdle in the Champions League earlier this year.

Christos Tzolis is undergoing a medical ahead of a £35million move, Illan Meslier is arriving on a free to bolster the goalkeeping department, and Mikel Arteta is pushing hard to land Bradley Barcola. The message is clear: Arsenal want more firepower, more depth, more edge.

To fund that ambition, some familiar faces may be heading for the exit.

Arteta and the hierarchy believe they could bring in close to £90m if five potential departures are signed off, money that would feed directly into a transfer budget aimed at landing statement signings such as Bruno Guimaraes before the new season kicks off.

This is what a title defence looks like in 2026: ruthless, unsentimental, and expensive.

Gabriel Jesus: From solution to expendable

When Gabriel Jesus arrived from Manchester City in 2022, he looked like the missing piece. He pressed, he linked play, he lifted the tempo of Arsenal’s attack. For a time, he transformed them.

Then came the injuries.

In the 2025/26 campaign, Jesus managed just 14 Premier League appearances. The stop-start rhythm, the interruptions, the constant battle to regain sharpness have stripped him of his status as an automatic starter and, now, of his place in Arsenal’s long-term plans.

AC Milan are circling. If talks move forward, Arsenal are expected to sanction a sale for around £15–20m. It is a modest fee for a player of his pedigree, but a reflection of his recent availability and the club’s need to refresh the forward line.

Two summers ago he was the face of a new era. Now he looks like one of its casualties.

Gabriel Martinelli: From livewire to question mark

Gabriel Martinelli still feels like part of Arsenal’s core. He remains a regular in matchday squads, a player Arteta trusts to change a game from the bench. Yet his grip on the left-wing berth has loosened.

Leandro Trossard took that spot last season and did not let go. Martinelli struggled to impose himself in the league, and the numbers and performances never quite matched his explosive potential.

Now Tzolis is on his way and another left winger remains high on the club’s wish list. That is not the profile of a squad built around Martinelli. It is the profile of a squad preparing for life without him.

Calciomercato report interest from Newcastle and Manchester United, with Bayern Munich also watching from afar. A deal around £40m is being discussed as a realistic figure.

Selling a 24-year-old with his upside would be a bold move. But this is a summer where Arsenal are clearly prepared to be bold.

Ben White: Versatility on the block

Ben White’s Arsenal story has twisted sharply over the last year.

Once a cornerstone of Arteta’s back line, his ability to play at centre-back and right-back made him invaluable. Then Jurrien Timber arrived, White picked up an ill-timed injury, and the defensive hierarchy shifted.

Injuries to Timber and William Saliba briefly opened the door again, a reminder of how quickly a squad can be stretched. White’s versatility still has obvious value in a long season.

Yet if Arsenal dip back into the market for defensive reinforcements, the 26-year-old could find himself available. His valuation is believed to sit around £25m, a reasonable figure for a Premier League-proven defender entering his prime.

For a club that once built its back four around him, placing White on the market would underline just how aggressive this reset has become.

Christian Norgaard: A short stay, a quiet exit

Christian Norgaard’s move from Brentford last summer always looked like a depth signing. Cover for Declan Rice. Cover for Martin Zubimendi. A reliable professional to plug gaps.

Even so, the Dane could hardly have expected to play so little.

At 32, he needs minutes, not promises. Arsenal, chasing marginal gains in every position, cannot guarantee him that. The Mail now link him with Crystal Palace, where new boss Pierre Sage is reshaping his own midfield.

It will be a bargain deal, a low-key exit after a low-key year. But for Norgaard, it is a chance to become central again rather than an insurance policy.

Reiss Nelson: The end of a long road

Reiss Nelson’s Arsenal story is the longest of the lot.

He joined the club at nine. He broke into the first team in 2017, one of the brightest prospects in a new wave of Hale End talent. The path looked clear.

It never quite happened.

Loans to Hoffenheim, Fulham and Brentford offered fresh starts but never turned into breakthroughs. At 26, Nelson is too old to be the promising youngster, too talented to be a permanent squad filler.

This summer, a permanent exit is finally on the cards. Fulham are interested again, and several overseas clubs are weighing up a move if the numbers make sense.

For Arsenal, it is another emotional cut in a summer full of them. For Nelson, it is likely the last chance to turn potential into a career that matches it.

Arsenal’s window is already defined by arrivals, medicals and big targets. But the real story might be in the departures column. How many of these long-serving or high-profile names actually walk out of the Emirates will say as much about Arteta’s ambition as any marquee signing that comes through the door.