Arsenal agree personal terms to sign £30m star

While Arsenal have sat idly by for much of the early stages of the transfer window, watching Manchester City and Liverpool strengthen significantly, Andrea Berta is now closing in on his first deal since arriving at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners are frantically trying to agree a move for either Benjamin Sesko or Viktor Gyokeres, but they have now tied up a move to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.

It’s one of football’s worst-kept secrets since January that the Spaniard is set to head to London with reports in January suggesting a deal was already being worked on.

Well, this week it was reported that a fee has now been agreed between the two clubs, one that will see Arsenal pay a fraction more than the midfielder’s £51m release clause, so they can manage their payments in instalments.

David Ornstein further revealed on Friday morning that Zubimendi is now in the English capital to meet Arsenal officials and complete the formalities of his move to the Premier League.

So, who’s next? Well, it could be a creative midfielder.

Arsenal move closer to signing another midfielder

Arsenal supporters are simply crying out for a striker to sign this summer, so it may come as a concern that deals for Sesko or Gyokeres don’t look like they’re no closer to completion.

That can’t be said of a move for Zubimendi, nor, according to reports, can it be said for a player who was plying his trade in the Premier League throughout 2024/25.

Back in May, it was reported that the Gunners had lodged a bid worth £30m to sign Leicester City’s creative marvel, Bilal El Khannouss.

Since then, there has not been much of an update on their pursuit of the Morocco international until now.

Indeed, Africa Foot report ahead of the weekend that Arsenal are now ‘close to agreeing a deal’, having already agreed personal terms with El Khannouss’ agents.

A fee is yet to be agreed between the north Londoners and Leicester, with the report concluding that Berta and Co must now meet the Foxes’ financial demands.

El Khannouss could be available for a cut-price fee considering his side were relegated from the top-flight only last month.

Why El Khannouss would be a good signing for Arsenal

Now, we know what you’re thinking. Why sign someone from one of the worst teams we’ve seen in the Premier League across recent years?

Well, if anyone wearing Leicester blue last season could come out of the campaign with their head held high, then it was the Moroccan who caught the eye with his passing ability from midfield.

El Khannouss was certainly one of Leicester’s players of the season – that isn’t hard of course – but he did play well, registering three goals and six assists in all competitions. Those are far from mindblowing numbers, but at the age of 21, there is a lot of potential to work with here.

Indeed, across the season, the attacking midfielder ranked among the top 14% of positionally similar players in the English top-flight for progressive passes and in the best 10% for passes into the final third, underlining his ability to play through the lines and pick out his teammates in promising positions.

That is no doubt his strong point. As outlined by data analyst Ben Mattinson, El Khannouss has a “killer final ball”, while he boasts an “elite weight of pass” and, importantly, “releases runners early.”

This should be music to the ears of the forward players at Arsenal, but particularly for any future striker that Arsenal sign, namely Sesko.

The Slovenian is a powerhouse striker and as the goal below showcases, he loves to get in behind.

Arsenal may well possess one of the best passers of a ball in the game in Martin Odegaard, but the addition of El Khannouss would no doubt help Sesko settle in even quicker should they both arrive at the Emirates.

At this stage of his career, you could well argue that the Leicester star is like a younger version of Odegaard, setting the tempo and feeding elite balls into the strikers.

Considering the lack of joy Leicester had in 2024/25, playing for a ball-dominant side like Arsenal would be a match made in heaven for the young creative star.