Arsenal plan to sell eight players to finance Rogers and Alvarez summer deals

Arsenal are prepared to sell as many as eight players this summer as manager Mikel Arteta pursues Aston Villa playmaker Morgan Rogers and Atlético Madrid forward Julian Alvarez to strengthen his Premier League title-winning squad.

Neither signing will come easily or cheaply. Rogers, 23, is also attracting interest from Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, while Barcelona have already had an £87 million bid for 26-year-old Alvarez rejected by Atlético Madrid. Both players are expected to be the subject of bidding wars, making it essential that Arsenal build a substantial transfer war chest before committing.

The most straightforward sales are likely to be Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson, both of whom have spent the past two seasons out on loan. According to BBC Sport, Arsenal will also listen to offers for Christian Norgaard — who only joined the club a year ago — and Ben White. The future of Ethan Nwaneri, who spent the second half of the season on loan at Marseille, is similarly uncertain.

A further three players — Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, and Leandro Trossard — are all out of contract in June 2027, meaning this summer may represent Arsenal’s last realistic opportunity to recoup significant fees for the trio. Arteta brought in a number of new forwards last summer, yet his side still struggled to create chances in high-stakes fixtures, most notably in Saturday’s Champions League final defeat to PSG.

Rogers is reported to be open to a move to Arsenal, and there is speculation that Aston Villa may be compelled to sanction his departure in order to comply with UEFA’s financial regulations. He registered 11 assists in all competitions this season, including a goal and an assist as Villa beat Olympiacos 3-0 in the Europa League final.

Alvarez remains Arteta’s primary target, though Barcelona are considering a second offer after their initial approach was turned down. Should that pursuit prove too costly, Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi has emerged as an alternative. The 19-year-old set a new Premier League record for goals in a debut season by a teenager, netting 13 times — including a strike against Manchester City last month that effectively handed Arsenal the title.

Arsenal are also among several clubs monitoring 16-year-old Leicester City midfielder Jeremy Monga, with a tribunal potentially required to settle the transfer fee.