Arsenal are confident they will complete the signings of William Saliba and Dani Ceballos this week in what will prove to be a major boost to Unai Emery's plans this season.
As reported last week, Arsenal have agreed terms with Saint-Etienne for the transfer of Saliba, who rejected interest from Tottenham to agree a deal to join the Gunners in a year's time. The 18-year-old will undergo his medical at London Colney this week and sign a five-year contract to complete a £27million deal.
Saliba, will, however spend the next season on loan with Saint-Etienne. He has already caught the eye of Arsenal players, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette travelling to watch Les Verts in a pre-season friendly in Washington.
Progress is not as advanced with Ceballos but Arsenal are convinced that a loan deal for the Real Madrid midfielder will be completed in the coming days.
Ceballos has returned from holiday after featuring for Spain in the Under-21 European Championships and is expected to arrive in London shortly. Arsenal are nearing an agreement with Madrid for a season-long loan; they had hoped to agree an option for a permanent deal but the Spanish giants pushed against including that in a deal.
The 22-year-old had also been linked with Tottenham though the Gunners' north London rivals were not as serious in their pursuit of Ceballos as they had been over Saliba. Arsenal will cover Ceballos' wages of around £60,000-a-week and pay Madrid a loan fee, though it is not expected to take a significant chunk out of their transfer budget.
Ceballos is expected to fill the void left by Aaron Ramsey and will be a key part of Unai Emery's midfield, something which was a key criteria in the playmaker's consideration when leaving Real Madrid.
"If I leave Real Madrid, I want to play in a team where I feel important," he said earlier in the summer. "I want to show that I can compete at any team in Europe.
"I am a young player that wants to play & succeed. I don't want another year without playing."
Once deals for Saliba and Ceballos are complete Arsenal will turn their attention to the pursuit of a left-back and winger, deals they will be able to do with the majority of their £45million budget intact.
Kieran Tierney is set to be the subject of a third bid that will move the Gunners' closer to Celtic's £25m price tag and there is a strong likelihood he will be an Arsenal player. Wilfried Zaha is the Gunners' first-choice winger target but matching Crystal Palace's £80m price tag will prove hugely challenging for the club hierarchy.
They have explored offering players in both a permanent swap deal and on loan but there is still much progress to be made.
