Tierney among EIGHT Arsenal stars worth €144m to be axed by Arteta

Robin Bairner

• 24 May 2023 06:00 CDT
• 3 min read

Arsenal are set for a summer transfer revolution, with as many as eight first-team stars set to be sold as Mikel Arteta seeks to push the Gunners closer to the Premier League title.

The Emirates club proved to be the surprise package of the campaign as they pushed Manchester City to the final weeks of the season in the title race, outperforming more favoured clubs such as Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham to finish a comfortable second in the Premier League.

Arteta, though, has the ambition to go one better.

EXCLUSIVE: Chelsea justify £85m Mount price tag as Liverpool fear Man Utd bidding war

The Spaniard is seeking some big-name additions in the summer, including a potential move for West Ham midfielder Declan Rice, a player FootballTransfers revealed that negotiations have already started over.

But with the likes of Leicester’s James Maddison and Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo also associated with the club, some serious funds are required to fuel Arteta’s ambitions.

These could be partially funded by sales of Arsenal's existing stars.

EXCLUSIVE: Ilkay Gundogan’s Arsenal transfer hinges on contract detail

Who will Arsenal sell this summer?

According to The Mirror, Arteta is ready to put as many as eight first-team players on the transfer market.

Leading the possible exodus of players from the Emirates are left-back Kieran Tierney and midfielder Thomas Partey, both of whom have played significant first-team roles in the recent past.

Granit Xhaka is another prominent figure who could leave, although rather than being axed by Arteta, FootballTransfers understands the Switzerland international has asked for a move. Emile Smith Rowe is also expected to depart after a frustrating season on the periphery of the squad.

Others who are touted to leave are Rob Holding, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Reiss Nelson, who is out of contract at the end of the season, and potentially even Folarin Balogun, who was previously a player that Arsenal would not consider bid for thanks to his fine performances on loan with Ligue 1 side Reims.

According to FootballTransfers’ valuations, the combined worth of these named players is €144 million, with Tierney alone worth €37m.

READ: Messi, Tielemans, De Gea and the best players available on free transfers this summer