Arsenal FC players who could be sold to fund blockbuster Vinicius Jr transfer

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Arsenal players who could be sold to fund blockbuster Vinicius Jr transfer

Gunners can afford mammoth deal for Real Madrid superstar - but others will have to leave

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Matt Verri

1 minute ago

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For all Arsenal are confident they would be able to afford a deal for Vinicius Junior, that does not mean it will be easy.

The Gunners pushed themselves to the limit last summer and were rewarded with their first Premier League title in 22 years.

The spend of more than £250million was a big statement, particularly considering only about £9m was raised through player sales.

There is an acceptance that cannot be repeated this summer. Arsenal know they must be more efficient at selling.

Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior have been sold for a combined fee in the region of £30m but more must be done, with the emergence of Vinicius Jr as a genuine target bringing that into greater focus.

Here are five players Arsenal could look to sell to help fund their pursuit of the Real Madrid star...

Gabriel Jesus

Arsenal are willing to listen to offers for Gabriel Jesus this summer.

The Brazilian has just 12 months left on his existing contract and the club have no plans to offer him a new deal.

Jesus is valued at £20m and Arsenal have insisted that figure must be met for them to sanction a sale.

The Gunners are relaxed about the situation and have made it clear they would be willing to lose Jesus for free next summer if the right offer does not come in during this window.

However, the pursuit of Vinicius Jr might encourage Arsenal to be more open to selling Jesus at a reduced fee.

Getting his wages of around £250,000 a week off the books would be a significant help in putting together an appealing financial package for Vinicius Jr and Real.

Gabriel Martinelli

The future of Gabriel Martinelli could well depend on what happens with Vinicius Jr.

The Brazilian wingers are represented by the same agency and Roc Nation would surely look to find a new club for Martinelli if Vinicius Jr does make the move to north London.

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Bayern Munich have previously held interest in Martinelli and the 25-year-old is coming into his prime. Arsenal should be able to demand a sizeable fee, considering some of the other price tags already seen this summer.

The Gunners are not pushing to sell Martinelli but a significant offer would be considered, particularly if Vinicius Jr becomes a realistic target.

There is a decision for Arsenal to make this summer, with the winger now entering the final two years of his contract.

Martinelli is on wages of £180,000 a week. Freeing that up would be very useful to help fund the kind of recruitment Arsenal want to do.

Ethan Nwaneri

A decision has not yet been made on what Arsenal do with Ethan Nwaneri.

His loan move at Marseille could not have gone much worse but he is still very highly-rated both from those inside the club and across the game.

Thomas Tuchel called Nwaneri up to England's preparation camp ahead of the World Cup.

However, there is no obvious pathway into the first team as it stands and if finances do become tight for Arsenal, selling Nwaneri would be a big help.

As an academy product, any fee would represent pure profit on the balance sheet and that would be especially welcome this summer.

Another loan would be the safest move in terms of keeping Nwaneri on the books, but signing someone of Vinicius' standards could necessitate more ruthless action.

Point to prove: Arsenal have a big decision to make over Ethan Nwaneri’s future

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Fabio Vieira

After spending last season on loan at Hamburg, Fabio Vieira has returned to Arsenal this summer.

Hamburg had an option to make the move permanent for £17m but opted against doing so, deciding instead to try and renegotiate a fee.

Those talks are still ongoing and Hamburg board member Eric Huwer has confirmed the club's interest.

“We’ve also backed up our interest with Arsenal with financial figures," Huwer said.

“If Arsenal says yes, we’ll be happy to have Fabio. If they say no, we’ll be happy to have someone else.”

Vieira is currently with the Arsenal squad in Spain as their pre-season preparations continue but there are no plans for him to be brought back into Arteta's thinking this season.

Exit: Reiss Nelson is not part of Mikel Arteta’s plans at Arsenal

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Reiss Nelson

Like Vieira, Reiss Nelson is back with the Gunners as they look to find a solution over his future.

He has spent the last couple of seasons out on loan, at Fulham and Brentford respectively, and will be out of contract next summer.

There are clubs interested in signing Nelson, with Fulham among those keen on bringing him back to Craven Cottage, but Arsenal are unlikely to bring in a big fee.

Instead, it would be about offloading his wages of around £100,000 a week sooner than if he leaves as a free agent.

Arteta does still trust Nelson and he started in Arsenal's behind-closed-doors friendly win over MK Dons, scoring the opening goal.

However, Arsenal already have Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Max Dowman on the right wing. On the opposite flank, Christos Tzolis has been brought in and Vinicius Jr is being targeted.

There is no room for Nelson in the squad and he is another player Arsenal are looking to move on.

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