Arsenal 'name asking price' for fringe star as £21m bid for 'target' rejected

Arsenal continue to push for new signings after a slow start to the summer window. After spending more than £200million last summer, the Gunners knew they would need to balance the books this summer, and a combination of that and the presence of international tournaments have combined for a tricky start to the window.

But with sales and incomings aplenty expected this summer, Arsenal will undoubtedly catch up, and it should be an entertaining pre-season for Gunners fans. In the meantime, we have rounded up all the latest news and transfer rumours surrounding the Emirates Stadium.

Nelson asking price

Arsenal are said to have named their price for Reiss Nelson as they look to offload the winger. Nelson has been a fringe player for the Gunners in recent times, and he will be one of many who are offloaded before the start of the new season.

West Ham United are said to be particularly interested in a deal, and the Hammers now know how much they will have to pay to complete a deal. According to Telegraph journalist Sam Dean, West Ham are pushing to land Nelson ahead of their pre-season trip to the USA. It’s claimed Arsenal want between £15million and £20million to wrap up a deal.

Speaking about Nelson’s lack of game time last season, Arteta said: “Look at the example of Reiss. His best moment for Arsenal, it’s a moment where he played a few minutes and made a huge impact and it’s one of the best days in his life as an Arsenal player. Nobody remembers if he started or if it was off the bench. There are a lot of examples in world sport where players made the impact.”

Bid ‘rejected’

Arsenal are said to be interested in Turkish star Ferdi Kadioglu this summer, but they are not the only club interested. Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United are also said to be interested, and there may well be interest from others.

According to journalist Sercan Hamzaoglu, Fenerbahce have now rejected a £21million bid for Kadioglu from an unnamed European club. The versatile full-back could be an option for the Gunners as they continue to struggle in their bid to strike a deal with Bologna for Riccardo Calafiori.

Pepe opens up on struggles

Former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe has been speaking about his Arsenal struggles as he searches for a new club. He told French outlet L'Equipe: "It was almost harassment. I don't look at social media much, but if my brother told me 'this is what they said about you', it would affect me unconsciously. It also came from the media or from certain members of the club. They don't realise that it can affect the mental state, the family and it affects performance.

"The only people who have always supported me are the Arsenal fans. At Arsenal, I suffered a kind of trauma, as if my passion had been ripped away from me, I had a disgust for football. I doubted myself to the point that I thought about quitting everything.

"I wondered how they could have been so relentless in their attacks on me. They even called me the biggest flop in the history of the Premier League. But I refused to mope."