Arsenal told they don't need Eberechi Eze amid 'approach' for midfielder

Arsenal are back in action on Thursday when they take on Villarreal in a pre-season friendly on home turf. The Gunners have been in Asia playing over recent weeks, but home fans will now get a good look at their side in action ahead of the new season kicking off.

Andrea Berta and Mikel Arteta have been very busy with recruitment this summer, and they may not be done yet. Here we round up all the latest news and transfer rumours surrounding the Emirates Stadium.

Vieira interest

Arsenal are looking to sell Fabio Vieira this summer with the midfielder having failed to cut it at the Emirates Stadium, spending last season back on loan with former club FC Porto.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein is now reporting that Stuttgart are pushing for a deal. He wrote: “VfB Stuttgart are working on a deal to sign attacking midfielder Fabio Vieira from Arsenal. The German club have approached their Premier League counterparts about Vieira. The 25-year-old was loaned to Porto last season but Stuttgart’s interest is over a permanent move. An agreement has yet to be reached but talks are ongoing, with Arsenal likely to seek a respectable price for a player they recruited for up to €40m in the summer or 2022.”

Wright likes Lookman

Ian Wright believes Arsenal should be pushing to sign Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman, who is pushing for an exit from Atalanta.

Wright has said: “I would love someone like him to come back to the Premier League and say, ‘Listen, I have unfinished business here, so I am going to help Arsenal win the league. But I just admire his journey. And now he’s recognised rightly as a top player—unbelievable.”

Ferdinand on Eze

Rio Ferdinand believes Arsenal do not need to sign Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze amid reported talks over a deal this summer. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand said: “I don’t think [Arsenal] need Eze. Why do [Arsenal] need Eze? Where is he going to play?

“You’ve got Martin Zubimendi as a holding midfielder, Declan Rice on the left-hand side of the No.8, Martin Odegaard on the right-hand side. Then you’ve got a winger – out of Noni Madueke or Gabriel Martinelli… He’d play where Declan Rice plays.’

“If Declan Rice played as a holding midfielder, I’d take Eze in a heartbeat. Yeah, he would give [Arsenal] depth. You could move it about. If Declan Rice gets injured, who have you got? Max Dowman.”

Arsenal are said to be eyeing a deal worth around £55million to sign Eze, but it’s unclear whether Palace would consider a deal worth that much. Eze had a release clause worth £68million until the end of last week, and the Eagles may well stick to a price in that range even after the release clause lapsed.

The close the new season gets, the more difficult a deal for Eze may be to complete, with Palace having struggled to get business done this season. The Eagles are in danger of losing their two best players and not replacing them either before the season or in the early stages of it.

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