Arsenal are planning a summer overhaul which could see them part company with nine first-team stars, a report from The Sun claims.
The north London side ended the previous season on a good note as they won the FA Cup and secured a spot in the Europa League.
It was anticipated that they would kick on and push for the Champions League places in the Premier League this term but that has clearly not been the case.
The Gunners have been inconsistent with their displays for most of the season and they are currently languishing in the 10th spot, eight points adrift of the top four.
Whatever happens for the rest of the season, the club are bound to make changes to the squad and it is reported that as many as nine players could head for the exit door.
The club have been financially impacted due to the coronavirus pandemic and they recently took a short-term £120 million loan from the Bank of England to manage some of the losses.
They recently reduced their wage bill by around £532,000-a-week after releasing the likes of Mesut Ozil, Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi from their contracts.
Sead Kolasinac, William Saliba, Joe Willock and Ainsley Maitland-Niles were also loaned out recently and it is reported that will save them around £16.5m for the season.
They are keen on offloading a number of stars to recoup funds for new signings as well as landing Dani Ceballos, Mat Ryan and Martin Odegaard (currently on loan) on permanent deals.
Alexandre Lacazette, who will be entering the final year of his contract this summer, could be heading for the exit door alongside David Luiz. The Gunners have yet to open negotiations over a fresh deal for the Brazilian beyond June.
Elsewhere, on-loan duo Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi are reportedly not in the plans of Arteta and it is suggested that they could be sold for £25m each after they return from Atletico Madrid and Hertha Berlin respectively.
Kolasinac is likely to leave for a nominal fee when he enters the final year of his contract while home-grown stars Willock, Maitland-Niles, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson are also being linked with possible exits.
Sportslens view:
The Gunners have experienced another tough season in the Premier League and they could miss out on the top four for the fifth campaign on the bounce unless they go on a sublime winning run in the final 14 games.
They can qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League this term but that remains far from guaranteed with the stiff competition from the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, AC Milan and others.
The failure to return to the elite European competition may see them miss out on at least £50m in additional revenue and that would directly impact their summer transfer business.
The club have done well in recruiting some top-class players in recent transfer windows with the use of instalments but the rising debt owing to this may contribute to a mini squad overhaul later this year.
Meanwhile, the club may also focus on bringing in new signings and it won’t come as a surprise if some young players including Nelson and Nketiah are sold, given they have barely featured under Arteta in recent months.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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