Arsenal ‘in talks’ to sign PSG star in brilliant deal; second transfer worth club-record fee almost finalised

Arsenal ‘in talks’ to sign PSG star in brilliant deal; second transfer worth club-record fee almost finalised

Arsenal have opened talks with Paris Saint-Germain over a deal to sign Fabian Ruiz – and with a transfer expert revealing exactly how a move can be financed and with another club-record deal with Fulham edging ever closer towards the finishing line.

The Gunners have finished second in the last two Premier League seasons and hope to strengthen their squad this summer to enable them to take that extra step. And while Mikel Arteta’s side are yet to add any new signings to their ranks, work is very much underway at Arsenal to add that additional quality to their ranks.

The first of those deals – for Bologna’s Riccardo Calafiori – is expected to be formally announced in due course with the Gunners finally agreeing on a fee with the Serie A side worth a total of €50m (£42.1m).

Indeed, going into the summer window, Arsenal had three main priorities, with a left-sided centre-half the first of those and soon to be fixed by the Italy star.

But with a new midfielder and a prolific new striker also on their radar, Calafiori may soon be joined at Emirates Stadium by another Euro 2024 stand-out in Ruiz.

The Spain midfielder played a leading role for Luis de la Fuente as they triumphed in this summer’s European Championships, playing in six of their seven matches as they won the competition for a record fourth time.

However, at PSG it’s a bit of a different story with the strong competition for starting places limiting Ruiz’s game-time and limiting the player to just 14 Ligue 1 starts last season.

Arsenal transfers: Expert reveals how move for Fabian Ruiz can be done 

While Ruiz is a double title winner in France, Luis Enrique’s side are open to the 28-year-old’s exit this summer to make room for new additions.

And according to transfer expert, Duncan Castles, speaking on the Transfer podcast, talks over the player’s move to Emirates Stadium are already underway.

“Arsenal have initiated discussions with Paris Saint-Germain for Spain international midfielder Fabian Ruiz,” Castles said.

“The discussions are dependent, I’m told, on Arsenal moving a player out from midfield.

“It’s likely that if they are to come to a agreement with PSG on a transfer fee that it will be structured in the same way as the deal they used to bring David Raya from Brentford last summer, in the sense of it being a loan with an obligation to buy a year later.”

Ruiz played a part in four goals (two goals and two assists) for Spain at the Euros and that form appears to have attracted Arteta into making his move.

The 28-year-old knows he may need to leave the French capital to play more regular football but was eager to play down claims he could leave the Parc des Princes when questioned earlier this summer.

“I know that my name comes up in every transfer window,” he said.

“But I am good in Paris. I still have three years left on my contract and I still have lots of objectives to reach with PSG.”

Unpopular sale set to fund move for Ruiz

With Ruiz seemingly edging slowly closer to a deal, that move Castles talks about helping to finance his signing is now entering the final stages, with Arsenal on the cusp of offloading homegrown playmaker Emile Smith Rowe to Fulham.

The player, who turns 24 over the weekend, needs a transfer after seeing his game-time limited at Emirates Stadium over the last two seasons and Fulham are understood to have agreed a £35m package – which represents a club-record deal for the Cottagers – to bring the attacking midfielder across the capital.

And with personal terms not expected to be an issue, the deal is expected to go through in the coming days, bringing an end to his long association with Arsenal.

His exit, though, will not be a popular one among supporters, with Smith Rowe hugely populatr among the Gunners faithful and many feeling he has not been given the chances that his talent demands.

Speaking in October 2020, Smith Rowe has made clear his dream of making it for Arsenal alongside his close pal Bukayo Saka.

“As an Arsenal fan, it would be a dream to become an Arsenal legend. I want to win trophies with the team. I could see myself being a one-club man if everything works out,” Smith Rowe revealed.

However, with his exit closing in, Arteta admitted on Thursday that it had been decided to leave him out of their friendly against Bournemouth – which finished in a 1-1 draw, with Arsenal winning 5-4 on penalties – out in California.

“There are things happening in the background at the moment and we decided the best thing to do was keep him [Smith Rowe] away from the game today,” Arteta said.

Two more academy graduates in Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson are also likely to leave and Arteta added: “A lot of players have been linked with potential moves; one way or the other, it’s normal.

“We are in that moment in the market. What I really like are the players that we have, with the level that they are showing and especially the commitment that you can see in those two, just the way they have performed.”