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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Tom Victor

Arsenal chief Edu boards plane to Spain amid transfer chase - and gets special offer

Arsenal sporting director Edu has been spotted boarding a flight to Valencia amid suggestions the Gunners are ready to move for Yeremy Pino.

Villarreal forward Pino, 19, has been linked with a £33million move to the Emirates Stadium as his employers need to raise funds after failing to qualify for the Champions League. The Gunners aren't the only side linked, but Edu appears to be taking matters into his own hands.

Former Arsenal manager Unai Emery is now in the dugout for the Yellow Submarine and admitted there could be a "responsibility" to sell for the right price. The teenager has a release clause of £67.5m, but reports suggest it would take around half that figure to get a deal over the line.

A photo was shared showing Edu in the queue to board a Ryanair-branded plane, with those sharing the stills saying the flight was bound for Valencia. In response, Ryanair themselves made a cheeky offer to the Brazilian, writing on Twitter : "Edu, PINO(t) on the return flight?".

If Arsenal are able to wrap up a deal for Pino, it would take their summer spending to around £150m. The bulk of that total has gone towards Fabio Vieira, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, with Marquinhos and Matt Turner arriving for smaller fees.

Jesus and Zinchenko have caught the eye since joining from Manchester City, where they previously worked with current Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. Zinchenko recorded an assist on his Premier League debut for the club, while Jesus opened his account with two goals in Saturday's win over Leicester.

Is Pino what Arsenal need? Have your say in the comments section!

“I’m really happy with the performance, the victory, the three points and with the way we played," Arteta said after the Leicester game. "I think it was a really good football match against a really good opponent and it was just a joy to play in front of this crowd.

“I think the crowd was special, especially after Saliba’s own goal. The way they reacted was something I’ve never seen in football; the amount of support and connection they are showing with us, and especially with William, lifted the team straight away. I have to thank them so much for that."

Arsenal operated with a small squad last season on their way to a fifth-place finish. However, with Europa League football to contend with this time around - alongside a pressure to climb into the top four after a second successive summer of big spending - more signings like Pino might be needed.

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