Arsenal Transfer News Roundup: Gunners retain Romeo Lavia interest; Crystal Palace want Folarin Balogun, and more - July 10, 2023
Arsenal are working to add more quality to their squad ahead of the new season. Mikel Arteta’s team finished second last term, five points behind champions Manchester City.
Meanwhile, the Gunners have retained their interest in Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia. Elsewhere, Crystal Palace are interested in Gunners striker Folarin Balogun.
On that note, here's a look at the key Arsenal transfer stories as on July 10, 2023:
Arsenal retain Romeo Lavia interest
Arsenal have retained their interest in Romeo Lavia, according to The Guardian. However, Southampton's £50 million valuation of the Belgian midfielder could pose a problem for the Gunners.
Arteta remains keen on reinforcing the centre of the park despite investing heavily on Declan Rice this summer. The Englishman is close to arriving from West Ham United.
However, Arteta also has his eyes on Lavia as he looks to add more youth to his squad. The Saints are willing to let the player leave following their relegation from the Premier League if their asking price is met. While the transfer fee is a bit on the higher side, the north London side have raised £21 million from Granit Xhaka’s move to Bayer Leverkusen.
Arsenal are also looking to offload Thomas Partey this summer and are hoping to raise £30 million from the Ghanaian’s departure. Juventus and Manchester United have been linked with the 30-year-old, who is also keen to leave the Emirates this summer. The dual departures could aid in their plans to sign Lavia.
Crystal Palace want Folarin Balogun
Crystal Palace are interested in Folarin Balogun, according to journalist Ryan Taylor.
The American forward spent last season on loan at Ligue 1 club Reims and was quite impressive. However, his future at Arsenal is up in the air, as the player is reluctant to go out on loan again. There’s an intense competition for places at the Emirates, which is why the Gunners are willing to offload the player permanently this summer.
Taylor told Give Me Sport that the north London side are likely to demand a premium for the 22-year-old.
“They are looking at him, from what I understand. I've had conversations about Balogun's future. There are a lot of clubs informed on his situation.
"Palace are one, Inter Milan, Monaco, Marseille, Leipzig, AC Milan, but I think ultimately, the price tag's going to prove complicated for a lot of these clubs because Arsenal know he's a really talented player,” said Taylor.
Arteta is well stocked in attack following the arrival of Kai Havertz from Chelsea and Reiss Nelson’s renewal.
Jurrien Timber transfer almost complete
Jurrien Timber is close to completing his move to Arsenal, according to Gunners insider Charles Watts.
The Dutch defender is all set to move to the Emirates after the north London side struck a deal with Ajax. The 22-year-old enjoyed a splendid 2022-23 season with the Eredivisie side, and Arteta has identified him as the ideal addition to his backline.
On his YouTube channel, Watts said that Timber has completed his medicals ahead of the move.
“He’s not quite signed yet, but he’s very, very close. He spent the day at London Colney on Friday going through all of his media stuff, the medical side of things.
"He’s flown back to Holland now. He spent yesterday in Holland. I don’t know if he’s going to be coming back today or not. I don’t know if Timber’s going to be flying back and linking up with the squad then [in Germany], we’ll have to wait and see,” said Watts.
Watts continued:
“I don’t know when Arsenal are going to announce this, but he spent the day and met his new teammates on Friday, did media stuff and had his medical and all that kind of stuff.
"It’s just a case of when this is going to be announced and when he can get everything in order to come back over here and link up with the squad.”
Timber’s ability to play at centre-back and right-back could make him an asset to the Gunners.