Arsene Wenger has confirmed Arsenal are closing in on signing striker Lucas Perez and centre-back Shkodran Mustafi but says the deals are yet to be completed. Mustafi, on the other hand, has been one of the transfer sagas of the summer, with both Arsenal and Valencia going back and forth on the fee before finally agreeing on a reported £35m (m) fee. “I’m 99 per cent confident”, Wenger told reporters on Friday. “I expected it to be easier than ever but it was more hard than ever”, the Gunners manager explained.
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So it looks as though Wenger is set to splash out £52m on two new big-money signings and Mustafi and Lucas will fill two holes in the squad that we desperately needed to address before the window shut.
“It was a odd transfer market, I expected it to be easier than ever, it has been more hard than ever”, he added.
Wenger was then asked if these two deals meant that he wouldn’t be buying any more players, and he started off with his favourite joke: “It is a shame you are not my friend”.
“I’m happy when our supporters are happy”, he said yesterday.
Manchester United signed Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic for free on the transfer market this summer.
Three factors appear to have changed Wenger’s mind on the player.
Arsenal’s search for a striker could end if the club accept Deportivo’s demand of paying the transfer fee in a single installment while a failure to accept their demand likely to cause the negotiations to break down.
“I’m happy when our supporters are happy but my job is to make the right decisions”, he added.
With Shkodran Mustafi expected to sign a long-term contract in the coming days, the decision has now been taken to help Chambers find first team experience elsewhere.
Lucas scored 17 goals and provided eight assists as Deportivo finished 15th in LaLiga last season. “We don’t want teams getting away from us”. And that everybody sat on his pounds until now.
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“Ludogorets we do not know a lot about them. He’s gone to Sporting and I think it’s an interesting championship; Portugal always has an interesting championship so let’s see how it goes for him”.
