Arsenal are preparing for a summer clear out.
Arsenal look set to part with four players in the summer, to free up funds to bring in Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin, according to the Daily Express.
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Defender Per Mertesacker, as well as midfielders Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini and Abou Diaby, are expected to move on from the Emirates in the summer, as manager Arsene Wenger prepares to assemble a squad for a Premier League title push next season.
While the money is likely to already be available to Wenger to complete the £20m move for the Southampton stalwart, Financial Fair Play Regulations could mean that plenty of players will have to be shipped on first.
Mertesacker may have been an integral part of Germany winning the World Cup last year, but the 30-year-old has received plenty of criticism for his performances this season, being held majorly responsible for the humbling defeat against Monaco in the Champions League, and being subsequently dropped for the next game against Everton, in favour of January signing Gabriel Paulista.
Former Everton midfielder Arteta, has not played for the Gunners since November, and is reportedly keen to return to Spain, and link up with former manager David Moyes at Real Sociedad. But Wenger may be keen to keep Arteta, to be a positive influence on the group of young players at the Emirates.
Flamini has featured regularly this season for Arsenal, but the emergence of Francis Coquelin, and the potential signing of Schneiderlin, may mean the 30-year-old will need to move on if he is continue to play first-team football.
It appears that patience may have finally run out with Diaby’s injury problems. The 28-year-old has been at Arsenal for over nine years, but has only made 124 league appearances in that time, and while Wenger may have given the him some hope that a new contract may be on its way, it now appears unlikely that a deal for Schneiderlin will be sacrificed so Diaby can spend another season on the injury table.