Arsenal report: Two stars are confirmed as leaving, with another 12 at risk in ruthless clearout

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC at Anfield on April 9, 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.
(Image credit: Dave Howarth - CameraSport via Getty Images)

Arsenal could let go of 14 stars this summer, with two already confirmed for the Emirates Stadium exit door. 

The Gunners look set to finish seven points behind Manchester City this season, having lost to their title rivals twice after leading the Premier League for much of the season. If they win their final two games, however, Arsenal have finished 18 points clear of where they were 12 months ago.

But that isn't enough for manager Mikel Arteta, who is already eyeing improvements for his side, including Declan Rice in a deal that could be worth £100 million. There could be a huge rebuild at London Colney, however, with a dozen stars exiting.

Declan Rice gestures duting West Ham's 1-1 draw against Newcastle in February 2023.

Declan Rice is top of Arsenal's agenda (Image credit: Getty Images)

Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Bayer Leverkusen are in advanced talks for Granit Xhaka but Arsenal have already let two stars leave already this summer.

Pablo Mari was on loan at Monza but his temporary move had a clause that would enable the Serie A club to purchase him, should they stay up – which they have now achieved. Ainsley Maitland-Niles, meanwhile, has confirmed he's leaving for a "fresh start" after two decades on the club's books as man and boy. 

Incredibly, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Cedric Soares, Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Auston Trusty and club record signing, Nicolas Pepe, are all on loan right now and expected to depart permanently this summer. Academy graduates Charlie Patino and Folarin Balogun also want permanent moves following loan moves.

Another two Hale Enders could depart. Reiss Nelson has rejected two contracts, as per The Mail, while Emile Smith Rowe has endured a season on the sidelines and make seek more game time elsewhere.

Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe during the Arsenal Media Day at the Arsenal Training Ground at London Colney on August 01, 2022 in St Albans, England.

Emile Smith Rowe is one of several Arsenal stars who could depart this summer (Image credit: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Kieran Tierney is expected to leave, too, with Newcastle United confident of securing the Scot, with Arsenal said to be interested in Joao Cancelo as his replacement.

These twelve stars have a combined Transfermarkt value of €200m.

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Arsenal are ready for a huge summer, with their wage structure set to loosen in the advent of reaching the Champions League once more. Declan Rice remains the priority target.

Five first-teamers are expected, with RB Leipzig defender Mohamed SimakinReal Madrid star Ferland Mendyformer academy graduate Yunus Musah and two more Manchester City stars all rumoured. Marc Guehi of Crystal PalaceAurelien Tchouameni of Real Madrid and N'Golo Kante of Chelsea have all been linked.

Three more contracts for existing Gunners could also be tied up in the coming weeks.

Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.