Chris Wheatley’s transfer round-up: Arsenal ramp up transfer spree reaching verbal agreement for £40m coup

As is often the case, it takes just one major transfer move to see the window really take flight, and things are expected to go up a notch in the coming days and weeks as managers look to trim the deadwood and bring in high quality new signings to aid their efforts in the 2023/24 campaign.

With the latest Euro 2024 qualifiers now done and dusted, players - after the briefest of breaks to recuperate from a gruelling season that for many involved participation in the winter World Cup - will be looking to what lies ahead after the summer, and a host of stars will need to resolve their futures.

As the off-season business begins to pick up pace, National World’s football editor and journalist, Chris Wheatley, returns with his regular column, providing the latest insight into transfers and football news:

Timber and Rice deals

Arsenal have agreed a deal in principle to sign Jurrien Timber from Ajax, our sister site LondonWorld understands. The fee will be in the region of £36million plus another £5million in achievable add-ons, as Gunners boss Mikel Arteta bolsters his defence ahead of the 2023/24 season.

Meanwhile, Declan Rice’s British transfer record move from West Ham to Arsenal will be completed in the coming days as the clubs look to finalise the structure of the deal. Arteta’s priority target for the summer transfer window is set to arrive at Emirates Stadium for a fee which could reach £105million.

Mari exit

Arsenal will officially confirm the departure of Pablo Mari from the club. Mari has joined Serie A side Monza after a £4.4million obligation buy clause was activated following his season-long loan in Italy.

The 29-year-old made 14 Premier League appearances for Arsenal after joining from Brazilian side Flamengo in January 2020, but is considered surplus to requirements under manager Mikel Arteta.

Ex-Gunner finds new club

Former Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac is set to complete a move to Italian side Atalanta after his contract with Marseille expired. Kolasinac, who turned 30 this month, will sign a two-year contract with an option to extend for a further year.

He made 41 appearances for Marseille last season, scoring four goals and providing one assist, with Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares also featuring in the same team.

Chelsea reap rewards

Chelsea have generated £223.5m from summer departures so far. Kai Havertz (£65m), Mason Mount (£60m), Mateo Kovacic (£30m) and Kalidou Koulibaly are among the names who have left the club in recent days.

Hakim Ziyech’s pending move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr is in doubt however, after his medical showed up the same knee issue that prevented him joining Paris Saint-Germain in January. The Blues will step up their pursuit of Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo in the coming days, with Manchester United monitoring the situation closely.

Partey work

Thomas Partey was spotted in an Arsenal training top as he steps up his preparations for pre-season training. Some first team players will report to London Colney for training as early as next week, whilst others who have recently been on international duty will get a slightly longer break.

Arsenal’s opening pre-season match is against Nuremberg in Germany on July 13.