Arsenal given €40m green light to complete sixth signing

Arsenal Football Club are shifting their focus back to strengthening the first team after a recent squad clean up. Mikel Arteta was keen to first offload fringe players before making his next move, and is now readying an offer for Villarreal's rising star Yeremy Pino.

Arsenal have signed five players thus far, with the marquee signing being the £45 million arrival of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City. Arteta also signed Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira for a combined £65 million, taking the club's spending to over £115 million for the summer.

After the initial spree, Arsenal technical director Edu Gaspar focused his attention on offloading players to make room for further arrivals. Bernd Leno, Matteo Guendozi, Lucas Torreira, Alexander Lacazette and Pablo Mari have left the club on permanent deals, while a host of players have departed on loan.

With the focus now back on incomings, the Gunners boss has made signing a wide forward a priority. After losing out on Raphinha, who joined Barcelona, the North London club have identified Villarreal winger Pino as the ideal player to compete with Bukayo Saka on the right side of Arsenal's front line.

According to AS, the Gunners have been given the green light to continue their spending with Villarreal open to selling Pino this summer. The Spanish outfit needs to raise funds in order to balance their books, and are willing to sacrifice the young Spain international.

Arsenal have been told that their potential offer of €40 million (£33.7m) could be accepted with a possibility of a further €5 million in addons. It is likely to encourage the north Londoners to step up their pursuit and make a formal offer in the coming days.

Pino, who plays predominantly on the right wing, is contracted to Villarreal until the summer of 2027. The Spaniard has a €70 million release clause in his current deal, but the La Liga outfit will not require interested clubs to meet that valuation, as they are in a hurry to raise funds.

At 19, the Las Palmas-born winger made 31 appearances in La Liga last season, scoring six goals and assisting a further four. Pino also played seven times in the Champions League as Unai Emery's team made it to the semi-finals of Europe's top-tier club competition.

Apart from a wide forward, Arteta is also said to be keen on adding depth in midfield. Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans is constantly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, but the Foxes are yet to receive a formal offer from the Gunners.