ARSENAL are closing in on the £50m transfer of Brighton's Ben White, SunSport can exclusively reveal.
The Gunners continued their pre-season campaign this weekend, drawing 2-2 with Scottish champs Rangers.
Meanwhile Arsenal are looking to bolster their attacking options with a move for Tammy Abraham of Chelsea.
And Inter Milan are eyeing Gunners' right-back Hector Bellerin, with Reiss Nelson also the subject of interest from Brighton.
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Stay up to date with all the latest news from the Emirates in our rolling blog…
- Kealan Hughes
'COWARDLY'
A mural honouring England trio Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka has been defaced with a racist message.
The Darlington mural was painted following last Sunday's Euro 2020 Final, which saw the three subjected to racist abuse for missing penalties against Italy.
The red and white design shows the three players' shirt numbers – 25, 17 and 11 – but was defaced with the words "we do not stand with the 3 Black Lions".
The local Stand Up To Racism group tweeted on Saturday: "Overnight a cowardly racist has decided to spread hate. We condemn this racism and we stand in solidarity with the Arthur Wharton Foundation
"We are the majority and cowardly racists are not welcome."
- Kealan Hughes
TOR BLIMEY
Inter Milan chief Beppe Marotta has confirmed the Italians ARE watching Hector Bellerin.
The Arsenal right-back, 26, has been tipped to leave the Emirates this summer after ten years of service.
Reports claim Inter are leading the race for Bellerin after selling Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain.
And Marotta has now confirmed the Serie A champions have Bellerin in their sights.
He told Sky Sports Italy: “Bellerin is a player we are following, but I can’t say any more.”
- Kealan Hughes
NOT SO BRIGHT
Reiss Nelson appeared to drop a hint over his future – by 'liking' an Instagram post linking him with a transfer to Brighton.
The winger struggled for game time last season and is now in the final year of his contract, fuelling rumours he could leave.
And he may have given a clue where he is heading by hitting the heart on a post from BHA Media, a Brighton fan page on Instagram.
The image showed Nelson playing for Arsenal with the Brighton badge in the corner.
It was captioned: "REISS NELSON TO BRIGHTON?"
- Joshua Jones
GOOD MORNING ARSENAL FANS
Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Aston Villa skipper Jack Grealish, although Manchester City are still thought to be leading the race for his signature.
Inter Milan are believed to be interested in signing Gunners defender Hector Bellerin to replace Achraf Hakimi, who recently joined Paris Saint-Germain.
Former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has finally completed his move to AC Milan after months of speculation – and will wear the No9 shirt for the Serie A giants this coming season.
Gunners target Houssem Aouar is now said to be wanted by United, Liverpool and Tottenham.
Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, has dubbed Arsenal's trip to Scotland 'perfect' – despite his team failing to win either of their pre-season friendlies.
The Gunners needed a late Eddie Nketiah equaliser to earn a 2-2 draw with Rangers on Saturday afternoon, with debutant Nuno Tavares also getting on the scoresheet.
The manager praised Tavares' efforts against the Scottish champions, telling the club's official website: “A great debut, with his [goal on his] right foot as well!
“He’s only been with us a few days but you can already see his qualities, his physicality and then the quality on the ball that he has.
“He’s integrating with the lads really well, so it’s a good start."
- Thomas Blow
GRANIT XHAKA LATEST
Granit Xhaka has reportedly given up his bonuses from the 2020-21 season in order to secure a move from Arsenal to Roma this summer.
Roma boss Jose Mourinho has been keen on bringing in Xhaka since moving to Italy, and the Switzerland captain reportedly agreed to a five-year deal with the Serie A club last month.
And the 28-year-old is apparently so keen on a move to Roma that he will give up his bonuses from last season to help get the deal across the line.
This is according to Football Italia, who say that Xhaka has told his club that he wants to leave.
- Thomas Blow
JOE WILLOCK LATEST
Arsenal are likely to allow Joe Willock to leave on loan this summer, according to Chronicle Live.
And if Willock does leave on loan, he may sign a contract extension with Arsenal first.
Willock is keen on first-team football and Newcastle are probably the most likely to offer him that, but he’s still assessing his options at this stage.
The Gunners are believed to have set a £20million asking price for the midfielder which means a loan may be more realistic.
- Thomas Blow
HOUSSEM AOUAR LATEST
Arsenal have been joined by Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool in the transfer race for Lyon's Houssem Aouar.
Aouar has just two years left on his current deal at Lyon, putting the French club in a difficult situation of stick or twist.
According to ESPN, the Ligue 1 club would prefer to offload the impressive 23-year-old and cash in.
The report states that Tottenham and Arsenal are leading the race between the Premier League giants.
But Liverpool are on the hunt for a Georginio Wijnaldum replacement, who left the club in the summer and joined French giants Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.
And Paul Pogba's uncertain future at Man Utd has forced the Red Devils to reportedly keep a watchful eye over Aouar.
- Thomas Blow
ARTETA CALLS SCOTLAND TRIP 'PERFECT'
Mikel Arteta has dubbed Arsenal's trip to Scotland 'perfect' – despite his team failing to win either of their pre-season friendlies.
The Gunners suffered a poor 2-1 loss to Hibernian and needed a late equaliser to earn a 2-2 draw with Rangers.
But the manager is remaining positive, telling the club's official website: "I think it [the trip] was perfect, even the weather was something that we didn't expect.
"I think KT's [Tierney] been really helpful with that and I think the way we've been treated by the hotel, the staff, the facilities – I think it was a really positive camp."
- Thomas Blow
ARTETA PRAISES NUNO
Arteta has also praised Nuno Taveres after he scored his first Arsenal goal in today's match against Rangers.
The Gunners boss told the club's official website: "A great debut with his [goal on his] right foot as well!
"He's only been with us a few days but you can already see his qualities, his physicality and then the quality on the ball that he has.
"He's integrating with the lads really well, so it's a good start."
- Thomas Blow
ARTETA REACTION
Mikel Arteta has been speaking about Arsenal's 2-2 draw with Rangers at Ibrox earlier today.
He told the club's official website: "Overall I'm really pleased with the performance.
"I think we dominated the game, we created so many chances – I counted about eight or ten clear chances to score – but this game is decided in both boxes.
"We weren't clinical in the opponent's box and we conceded two goals from two corners, which were the only chances they had apart from the counter-attack from our own corner.
"It's much better from the other day and you tell that physically we were already better in the second game.
"The organisation was better, individually they played better, but I really liked the collective understanding of the game and how we executed a lot of things we've been working on in the training pitch."
- Thomas Blow
NUNO REACTION
Nuno Taveres scored his first goal for the Gunners today as they earned a draw against Scottish champions Rangers at Ibrox.
Speaking to Arsenal's official club website, Taveres said: "It was a good game for me and for us.
"A good test. I think we had a good match and we learned a lot.
"I feel very happy to score my first goal with Arsenal. I'm so excited for this and today I did it.
"It's good to play with the best, like Aubameyang and Laca. They're very good players and to play with them, it's so good.
"I'm so excited to play with fans at the Emirates. I can't wait for this. We will see."
- Thomas Blow
SANDER BERGE LATEST
Arsenal could reportedly cool their interest in Sander Berge as they are unwilling to meet Sheffield United’s £35million asking price.
According to Sheffield United News, no bid has been forthcoming from the Gunners.
The Athletic has reported that Arsenal don’t see £35m as a fair reflection of Berge’s value in the current market.
Also, Edu seems to prioritised moves for Ben White and Albert Lonkonga.
- Thomas Blow
RANGERS MATCH REPORT
Arsenal twice came from behind to earn a draw against Scottish champions Rangers at Ibrox.
New signing Nuno Taveres and sub Eddie Nketiah were on target in front of 2000 fans in Glasgow.
Leon Balogun and sub Cedric Itten scored for the home side in a competitive encounter.
Arsenal’s side had almost £200m-worth of quality in the starting line-up, with £72m Pepe and £45m Thomas Partey joining Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in Arteta’s opening line-up.
Click here to read the match report
- Thomas Blow
MIK WANTS JACK
Arsenal have been linked with a move for Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish – but Manchester City are still leading the race, according to reports.
Pep Guardiola’s champions have long been linked with a £100million move for the England ace.
Man City also want Three Lions captain Harry Kane to move to the Etihad in a £150m deal.
However, The Athletic report Arsenal ‘admire’ Grealish, 25, along with rivals Tottenham.
It’s unlikely either North London club will have the financial clout to sign the attacking midfielder this summer.
On top of that, Grealish is said to be happy at Villa Park and would only consider leaving for Champions League football.
Neither Arsenal nor Spurs are able to offer that in 2021-22.
- Thomas Blow
GREAT TO SEE JIM
Raul Jimenez was named in Wolves’ starting XI for their pre-season clash against Crewe in the striker’s first game following a horror fractured skull eight months ago.
The Mexican forward, 30, required oxygen after losing consciousness following a sickening clash of heads with then-Arsenal star David Luiz in November 2020.
Click here to read more
- Thomas Blow
AU DEAR
Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has had a woeful afternoon in front of goal against Rangers, missing three great opportunities.
His poor display has left Arsenal fans fearing for the worst, with the Gunners winless in two games against Scottish opposition.
Goal’s Arsenal correspondent Charles Watts tried to be optimistic about Aubameyang on Twitter, highlighting the fact that he’s finding himself in good positions to score.
But one Gunners fan responded saying Aubameyang has picked up where he left off last season.
The supporter tweeted: “What’s worrying is Auba has picked up where he left off last season. Not scoring a lot.”
Click here to read more
Credit: The Sun - Thomas Blow
MORE ON SAKA
Arteta has also urged Saka to take his game to the next level after his wonderful efforts for England this summer.
The manager told the club's website: "I spoke to Gareth before the tournament and we all shared the same opinion on B: that this kid is going to push everybody there, just the way he trains, the way he is, the way he competes.
"The maturity that he has shown at his age is pretty special, I have not seen many of those [with it] – and now he is going to have to cope with other things over the next year, it is going to be about expectations.
"Can he do it again? Can he raise his game again, can he improve, can he keep making better decisions, be more consistent, start to win more regularly?
"That is the thing that he needs to do that at this very early stage in his career."
Credit: Getty Images – Getty - Thomas Blow
ARTETA PRAISES SAKA
Manager Mikel Arteta has praised Arsenal star Bukayo Saka after England's shootout defeat to Italy.
The 19-year-old missed a penalty as the Three Lions lost the Euro 2020 final.
Arteta, providing an update on Saka, told the club's official website: "He's fine.
"Obviously he had some tough days after what happened in the final but I think you have to look at the whole picture.
"This kid, at 19 years old, has played almost every game in the Premier League.
"He was our Player of the Season, I think he has earned the respect and admiration of everyone at the football club.
"But not only that, he's gone to an international stage, he started the European competition with an injury and still he has managed to be in the starting XI.
"He reached the final and he couldn't lift that trophy but I think he has a much bigger trophy than that, and that's that now he really knows that in good and bad moments, everybody at the club, every Arsenal fan and every English fan is right behind him.
"He has earned that with his behaviour, his talent and with the way he is. That's going to be there for the rest of his life.
"A trophy is there in the wardrobe and then you have to be the man in the next one.
"But what he has achieved and how he has united people is very powerful and he should be really, really proud of that."
- Thomas Blow
GUNNERS FAIL TO BEAT RANGERS
Arsenal's friendly against Rangers at Ibrox has finished 2-2.
Defender Leon Balogun opened the scoring for the hosts in the 14th minute before Nuno Tavares equalised on debut.
Forward Cedric Itten re-established Rangers' lead in the 75th minute before Eddie Nketiah scored a late goal to spare Arsenal's blushes.
- Thomas Blow
CLOSER LOOK AT WHITE
Arsenal have reportedly agreed a £50million fee with Brighton for centre-back Ben White.
The 23-year-old joined Brighton's academy in 2014, making his professional debut two years later in a League Cup match against Southend.
White spent the 2017-18 campaign on loan at League Two side Newport, immediately becoming an integral player.
He made 42 league appearances that term, picking up Newport's Player of the Year award – despite his lack of experience.
White spent time at Peterborough the following season, playing 15 times in League One, before moving on loan to Leeds for the 2019-20 campaign.
The youngster played every game for the West Yorkshire side as they won the Championship, picking up their Young Player of the Year award.
He was also named in the PFA Team of the Year, persuading parent club Brighton to give him a chance in the Premier League last term.
White went on to make 36 Prem appearances, earning Brighton's Player of the Year award and earning a place in England's Euro 2020 squad.
He looks some player, Arsenal fans.
- Marc Mayo
LOC AND LOAD
Arsenal could be about to beat Juventus to the signing of Manuel Locatelli.
The Italy midfielder is being fought over by the two clubs with Sassuolo wanting around £34million for the transfer.
However, according to TuttoMercato, the Juve offer of a two-year loan followed by an automatic £25m deal does not satisfy Sassuolo.
Arsenal could therefore beat the Old Lady to the punch – although Locatelli is said to favour a switch to Turin.
- Kealan Hughes
NUNO TIME
Nuno Tavares is set to make his first Arsenal appearance after The Gunners announced the team to take on Rangers this afternoon.
Florian Balogun also gets his first start of pre-season, as do Rob Holding, Thomas Partey, Nicolas Pepe and Emil Smith Rowe.
Kieran Tierney and Joe Willock have been named on the bench so could also get their first taste of pre-season action.
- Kealan Hughes
'HE HAS EVERYTHING'
According to The Telegraph, Arsenal are eyeing up a move for Tammy Abraham this summer, and one player who may be very happy about that is Willian.
The Brazilian of course knows Abraham very well from their time together at Chelsea, and the winger certainly rates Abraham highly.
And in a previous interview with the Evening Standard, Willian said of Abraham: "He can become one of the best strikers in the world. He is only 22 and he has everything.
“I’ve played with good players, good strikers like Diego Costa and Fernando Torres. Now Tammy can become one of the best.
“I don’t know if he can be better than them, but I think he can, potentially. He just has to improve every day because in football you need to do that."
- Kealan Hughes
XHAKA UPDATE
Granit Xhaka has reportedly given up his bonuses from the 2020/21 season in order to secure a move from Arsenal to Roma this summer.
Roma boss Jose Mourinho has been keen on bringing in Xhaka since moving to Italy, and the Switzerland captain reportedly agreed to a five-year deal with the Serie A club last month.
And the 28-year-old is apparently so keen on a move to Roma that he will give up his bonuses from last season to help get the deal across the line.
This is according to Football Italia, who say that Xhaka has told his club that he wants to leave.
- Kealan Hughes
'INCREDIBLY VALUABLE'
Arsenal have appointed former Manchester City man Nicolas Jover as their new set-piece coach.
Jover worked with Arteta while at The Citizens together and the Spaniard is delighted to have him aboard.
Mikel Arteta told Arsenal.com: "We had a situation in the summer with Andreas [Georgson], where he had the possibility to leave to his country. He had different reasons to do that and I understood that situation, so we needed to recruit somebody.
"After looking through what the best solution would be, a person that I know was on the market, was available, is someone whose expertise are incredibly useful and valuable for us.
"He’s joining us. His name is Nicolas Jover and I’ve worked with him before at City.”
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