Arsenal update: Saka announcement soon, another deal nearly done, Xhaka departure 'almost certain' & Cancelo latest
Thursday's top Arsenal stories from Fabrizio Romano and other leading sources
Bukayo Saka announcement soon + Aaron Ramsdale deal close
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Bukayo Saka has signed his new Arsenal contract and it’s all been done for some time now, with an official announcement coming in the next few weeks.
Romano adds that there’s good news on the Aaron Ramsdale front as well, with the England goalkeeper close to agreeing a new contract, with the final details being sorted out and a positive outcome expected soon.
He tweeted: “Arsenal will announce Bukayo Saka’s new deal in the next weeks — all done and agreed since February, documents ready. It will be valid until 2028.
“Final details being sorted with Aaron Ramsdale as he’s gonna sign new deal very soon.”
Granit Xhaka departure now basically done
It looks like Granit Xhaka’s move to Bayer Leverkusen can basically be considered a done deal at this point.
The Switzerland international has had an outstanding season at the Emirates Stadium, but it is now expected that he could complete his move to Leverkusen by the weekend, which comes as Arsenal step up their interest in Declan Rice to replace him.
As reported earlier this week, Xhaka will likely cost around €15m and join Leverkusen on a four-year deal, running until June 2027.
Arsenal interested in Noah Darvich transfer
Arsenal are one of a handful of European clubs interested in signing SC Freiburg midfielder Noah Darvich, according to an exclusive report from CaughtOffside.
Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and at least one other Premier League club are understood to be monitoring the 16-year-old midfielder’s situation, though a final decision on his future is yet to be made.
A left-footed attacking midfielder who can operate from the right-hand side or centrally, Darvich looks like a perfect for for Mikel Arteta’s style of play, with Freiburg seemingly fighting off growing interest in the German wonderkid.
Joao Cancelo to Arsenal links strengthen
There is growing talk of Joao Cancelo being a serious option for Arsenal this summer as Manchester City face making a tricky decision on the Portuguese full-back once his loan spell with Bayern Munich comes to an end.
The Telegraph claim Arsenal are keen on Cancelo, and the Evening Standard add that Man City may end up having to settle for selling the 28-year-old to a Premier League rival due to a comparative lack of buying power from other top clubs in Europe at the moment.
Arteta worked alongside Cancelo in his spell at City and this looks like it could be another smart raid on their title rivals after last summer’s deals for Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, though that could of course mean Pep Guardiola will be more reluctant than last year to let a proven player of this calibre join the Gunners.
For all the very latest Arsenal transfer news, read caughtoffside.com