Arsenal seal Zinchenko deal with fee higher than first thought; Man City to lodge immediate replacement bid

Arsenal have agreed personal terms with Oleksandr Zinchenko with a medical all that remains, while Man City will waste no time bidding for his replacement, per reports.

The Gunners are poised to bring their raids on Manchester City this summer to two. Arsenal made Gabriel Jesus their marquee signing when forking out £45m earlier in July. They then agreed a fee to sign Zinchenko and according to both David Ornstein and Fabrizio Romano, personal terms have settled.

Ornstein confirmed the news via the Athletic, with his report stating Arsenal and Zinchenko have found common ground.

A four-year deal running until 2026 is due to be signed with a medical set to be undertaken later this week.

Prior reports had claimed the transfer fee would be worth £30m. Ornstein confirmed that figure as the initial payment, though added £2m in ‘achievable add-ons’ are also included on top.

Romano reaffirmed many of those details on Twitter before giving the deal his signature ‘here we go’ confirmation.

However, Romano also indicated what Man City will do with the money they’re about to receive.

The trusted journalist tweeted City are preparing an official bid to sign Brighton’s Marc Cucurella.

The Spanish left-back, 23, has persistently been described as Pep Guardiola’s No 1 target at left-back this summer. With Zinchenko now leaving for north London, City’s time to strike is approaching.

Romano added City’s bid will be submitted ‘soon’ and Guardiola wants a deal wrapped up as quickly as possible.

While no indication on how much Cucurella will cost was given, prior reports have suggested the Seagulls will demand around £50m.

Zinchenko, Cucurella deals great for all involved

In Zinchenko, Arsenal will be adding a player Mikel Arteta knows well from his time as the No 2 at the Etihad.

He will provide stiff competition for Kieran Tierney at left-back, though is equally adept at playing in midfield. Indeed, the engine room is where he plays for Ukraine.

City are receiving a sizeable fee for a player who has never been a regular starter. In turn, they will quickly re-invest that cash towards a Cucurella deal and the Brighton ace is two years younger.

What’s more, Cucurella is arguably more potent going forward, something that will be of great interest to Guardiola.

Cucurella (40) ranked second behind only Trent Alexander-Arnold (42) for chances created in open play by full-backs in the Premier League last year.

That put him ahead of some of the league’s finest including Reece James, Andy Robertson and Joao Cancelo.

Should Cucurella move, Brighton are likely to generate around £50m. While they won’t part ways with their reigning Player of the Season easily, the cash received will soften the blow.

Indeed, Cucurella signed from Getafe only last summer for around £15m. Selling him for £50m would more than triple their investment in just 12 months.