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Duo flying-in for medicals as Arsenal close-in on exciting double swoop

By on July 23, 2019

It looks like it’s going to be a busy day in north London as reports claim Dani Ceballos and William Saliba will undergo medicals today ahead of their moves to Arsenal.

Unai Emery has only managed to sign Brazilian youngster Gabriel Martinelli so far this summer but the boss is expected to be extremely active during the final two weeks of the window as he looks to bring in up to four new signings.

Ceballos has been strongly linked with a move to the Emirates in recent weeks and AS claim the midfielder is due to fly to London today to undergo his medical after we agreed a one-year loan with Real Madrid.

The Spanish publication says Emery played a key role in persuading Ceballos to join Arsenal over Tottenham after phoning the player to promise he’ll be a key part of his plans and will play 40 games this season [if he stays fit].

Arsenal were reportedly keen on securing a permanent deal or an option-to-buy clause next summer but AS insist no such clause has been included in the deal as Madrid still hope the 22-year-old has a future at the club.

I think Ceballos will be an excellent addition to the squad but it’s just a shame we haven’t managed to get any sort of long-term security with an option-to-buy clause or even first option to purchase if Madrid sell next summer.

Another player who’s been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal this summer is William Saliba and the Daily Mail claims the centre-back will have his medical today ahead of a £27m move from Saint-Etienne.

We’ve been locked in negotiations with the French outfit for several weeks and we had to fend-off late competition from Tottenham but an agreement was finally reached last week and Saliba is now due to arrive in London to finalise the move after Saint-Etienne completed their pre-season tour of the US.

As part of the deal, Saliba will spend next season on loan at Saint-Etienne as he needs to develop his game further in Ligue 1 before linking up with his new Arsenal team mates next summer.

The 18-year-old is one of the most highly-rated centre-backs in French football so he should be an excellent long-term signing for Arsenal but I still hope we get another more established centre-back as well.

Our defence has been woeful for years and we badly need reinforcements for next season, especially if Laurent Koscielny manages to force a move back to France, so Emery needs to bring in another defender on top of Saliba before the end of the window.