Arsenal make Gabriel decision as Edu looks to sell 'at least six' first-team players before deadline

Arsenal have decided on Gabriel Magalhaes’ future as the club look to sell at least six first-team players before Friday’s transfer deadline, it has been claimed.

It’s shaping up to be a busy few days for Mikel Arteta's side, after a window that has seen the arrivals of David Raya, Jurrien Timber, Declan Rice and Kai Havertz for a combined fee in excess of £200million.

The likes of Granit Xhaka, Matt Turner, Auston Trusty and Pablo Mari have all departed the club for combined fees that could total up to just over £40million. Meanwhile, Marquinhos, Alex Runarsson and Kieran Tierney have all secured loan deals elsewhere.

And in the next five days, the Gunners will focus their attention on securing further outgoings.

Indeed, according to a Football.London report, Arsenal are set to sanction the exit of six players.

Folarin Balogun will be the first of those departures, with the Hale End graduate’s permanent move to Monaco reportedly set to be confirmed within the next 48 hours.

Arsenal are also said to be open to offers for Rob Holding, with the 27-year-old having been linked to clubs in Turkey and Spain across the window. Holding’s current contract expires next summer, though Arsenal have the option to extend it by a further 12 months.

Moreover, Nuno Tavares' future is also likely to reside elsewhere, with the Portugal under-21 international having received interest from Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen this summer.

Tavares would allegedly prefer to stay in the Premier League, however, with Aston Villa having shown interest in a loan move. The Gunners' preference is allegedly to find a permanent solution for the 23-year-old who is not part of Mikel Arteta's plans.

Albert Sambi Lokonga is said to be another who is free to leave, with Monaco having shown an interest in the Belgian international. Brighton and Burnley have also thought to be keen, but neither have made an official approach.

Nicolas Pepe and Cedric are also expected to leave, with the pair having one year remaining on their deals.

While the publication claims a formal offer has yet to come in for Cedric, teams in Spain and Portugal have expressed interest. Meanwhile, Pepe has interest from Saudi Arabia, where the transfer window closes two weeks after the Premier League’s deadline.

Football.London added that Gabriel does not appear likely to leave, despite links to the Saudi Pro League and Real Madrid.

While the Brazilian is yet to start a Premier League game this term, that is understood to be a tactical decision rather than a result of speculation over his future.

Topics: Arsenal, Premier League, Gabriel Magalhaes, Nicolas Pepe, Mikel Arteta, Transfers

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.