Here are the Arsenal morning headlines for Monday, August 17.
Gunners battling with Napoli yet again
Arsenal and Napoli have been firm transfer rivals over the last couple of years, with the Gunners having the edge. Lucas Torreira and Nicolas Pepe were of interest to both sides, and both chose north London over Naples.
The Gunners could be set to make it a hat-trick, with Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes being chased by both at present.
Lille president Gerard Lopez explained to Sky Sports that the club are willing to let Gabriel leave this summer.
"We clearly told him what our expectations were, we spoke to a number of clubs, our expectations were met by a number of clubs and we have given him the time to decide,” he said.
The 22-year-old is expected to cost around £25million.
Aubameyang teases Arsenal fans with tweet
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a fine season with Arsenal, which culminated in him scoring twice in both the semi-final and final of the FA Cup.
The 31-year-old is out of contract next summer, which raises the possibility that he could be sold in the current transfer window so that the Gunners receive something for him rather than losing him on a free transfer in a year.
And the player’s cryptic Twitter post on Sunday evening certainly got Arsenal fans talking on social media. The striker posted four dots an egg timer emoji, suggesting that he or the fans are waiting for something to happen.
Mikel Arteta stated his belief that the player will extend his contract when asked after the FA Cup final, but it remains to be seen how this saga will unfold.
Lille chief defends Pepe
Arsenal’s head of football, Raul Sanllehi, left the club on Saturday which immediately sent the rumour mill into overdrive.
One potential reason for his departure was the underperformance of Nicolas Pepe, the £72m signing who joined the club last summer and hardly set the Premier League alight during his first season in England.
However, Lille president Gerard Lopez has rubbished the idea that this led to Sanllehi’s departure. He also backed Pepe to improve next season, as he told Sky Sports.
"They have a player [Pepe] where people forget his age, and the fact he took one season to click within our system and then became the player which we all know,” he said.
"He has had a good second half of the season at Arsenal and he is one of the rare players who can make something happen from nothing.
"The more comfortable he gets at the club, the more he will make things happen so I think the best is yet to come."
