Arsenal Reach Dani Ceballos Loan Agreement With William Saliba Set to Follow
By Tom Gott
Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos on loan for the upcoming season, whilst a permanent deal for defender William Saliba is also nearing completion.
Both players have long been on Arsenal's radar but, with the Gunners desperate to save money wherever they can, the deals have taken longer to complete than they would have hoped.
Arsenal have reached an agreement to sign Real Madrid and Spain U21 midfielder Dani Ceballos on loan for 2019-20 campaign. With William Saliba also set to complete move from Saint Etienne before returning there on loan next season, big week for #AFC in transfer market #RMFC #ASSE
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 22, 2019
However, according to BBC Sport, Arsenal are now set to finally confirm the signings of both Ceballos and Saliba.
Ceballos, who was heavily pursued by Tottenham Hotspur, is expected to be a vital part of Unai Emery's side next season, filling the void left by Aaron Ramsey's free transfer to Juventus.
Since joining Real back in 2017, Ceballos has made 56 appearances but has struggled to hold down a regular place in the first team. He was in stunning form at this summer's European Under-21 Championships, and Zinedine Zidane is believed to have authorised his temporary departure to allow him to continue his development.
As for Saliba, who attracted his own interest from Spurs, he will complete a £27m move to the Gunners, before spending the upcoming Ligue 1 season back on loan with Saint-Etienne.
The 18-year-old will join up with Arsenal in the summer of 2020, and he is thought to be eager to join up with his new side.
News of the two deals will come as a huge boost to Emery, who is battling to improve his squad with limited transfer funds. A loan move for Ceballos will not be too expensive, which will allow Arsenal to spend heavily to improve other areas of the squad.
They have been linked with a number of high-profile signings, but it is thought that Gremio winger Everton Soares and Celtic defender Kieran Tierney are high up on Emery's wish list this summer.
As it stands, it is unlikely that Arsenal would be able to afford deals for both Everton and Tierney, so Emery may be forced to part ways with a number of his current crop of players to finance his busy summer.