Amadou Onana wanted by 'many clubs' and Abdoulaye Doucoure could leave Everton

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·17 January 2024

Amadou Onana wanted by 'many clubs' and Abdoulaye Doucoure could leave Everton

Arsenal have held initial contract talks with the representatives of Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White ahead of potentially extending their current deals at the club, as Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth provides GIVEMESPORT with the latest internal update from the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners hope to keep hold of Mikel Arteta’s key players as they build a side capable of regularly challenging for the top honours, including the Premier League and Champions League.

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The north London outfit hope to go one better during the 2023/24 season and secure a first league title since 2004, having been pipped at the post by eventual treble winners Manchester City last term. Arsenal have been on an upward trajectory in the previous two seasons under Arteta and will hope the current members of their squad are keen to commit their futures to the club.

Arsenal have enjoyed success in the transfer market under the guidance of sporting director Edu Gaspar and are now considered one of the Premier League’s most proactive clubs in the window. The Gunners confirmed the signing of White from Brighton & Hove Albion in July 2021 in a deal which could eventually reach £50m. The centre-back had impressed during a loan spell at Leeds United before returning to nail down his place in the starting lineup at the Amex Stadium.

Later that window, Arsenal secured the signature of right-back Tomiyasu for Bologna for a fee close to £20m. The Japan international has since established himself as a steady and reliable squad player for Arteta, who can perform when called upon. With Tomiyasu’s deal expiring in 18 months, Arsenal will be keen to tie the 25-year-old down to a contract extension.

White’s deal runs an extra 12 months to his defensive colleague, but this is still a matter that Arteta will want to resolve imminently. In positive news for Arsenal, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has recently told GIVEMESPORT (12th January) that talks over a Tomiyasu contract extension have reached ‘the final stages.’

The full-back is currently away in Qatar on Asia Cup duty with Japan but could see his deal at the Emirates Stadium extended beyond 2025 when he returns to the English capital. Meanwhile, in October 2023, The Evening Standard reported that Arsenal are continuing to hold positive talks with White about signing fresh terms with the north London outfit.

Dharmesh Sheth - Everyone is ‘quite relaxed’ about Tomiyasu and White contracts

Sheth has hinted that there is no panic over the current contract situations of Tomiyasu and White at Arsenal. The Sky Sports reporter claims that the duo’s representatives have held “positive” talks over potential new deals with the Gunners. Sheth told GIVEMESPORT:

“I think everyone is quite relaxed about the contract situations of Tomiyasu and White because there's still a little time. Tomiyasu’s contract is up in the summer of 2025, so it still has 18 months to run. It's not to the point where he's free to talk to other clubs outside England just yet. White’s contract is up in 2026. All the noises we're hearing now is that initial talks have happened with both players’ representatives, and it's been positive as far as we know. There seems to be a willingness from all parties to extend those deals beyond the current expiration dates on Tomiyasu and White.”

Arsenal have yet to spend during the 2024 winter transfer window, having already splashed over £200m on four new additions during the summer of 2023. The Gunners could hold off on spending cash during the current market to avoid breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations.

According to FootballTransfers, Arsenal and Liverpool have made Wolverhampton Wanderers left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri a transfer target. Arteta wants to add more depth to the left side of defence, having sent Kieran Tierney on loan to Real Sociedad for the 2023/24 season. This leaves the Gunners with the injury-prone Oleksandr Zinchenko as their only out-and-out option in the position.

Meanwhile, the report claims that talks between Wolves and Liverpool have already occurred regarding Ait-Nouri's signature. The Algeria international could potentially depart Molineux at the end of the 2023/24 campaign or even in January if a bid exceeding £50m is offered. However, any deal in the winter for Ait-Nouri could be complicated, given his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations with his country.

Arsenal return to Premier League action when they host Crystal Palace on 20th January. Arteta’s side are then afforded a ten-day break before they travel to The City Ground to take on Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest on 30th January.