Arsenal news: Two deals agreed ahead of Premier League opener

Mikel Arteta is ploughing ahead in his bid to trim the first-team squad with two more transfers expected to be completed this week. Bernd Leno is expected to leave Arsenal on a permanent basis while Folarin Balogun will depart on a season-long loan.

The Gunners boss expressed a desire to reduce the number of players in his first-team squad before making further additions this summer. Arsenal have signed five players thus far, and are expected to remain active in the market until transfer deadline day.

Nuno Tavares departed the Emirates Stadium in late July when he completed a loan move to Olympique Marseille. Similarly, third choice goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo joined Crewe Alexandra for the 2022-23 campaign.

Leno is expected to be the next player to head towards the exit doors with Arsenal agreeing a deal with Fulham for the German's transfer. The two sides have been in discussions for a number of weeks, and the deal was only possible after the north London club reduced their asking price from £10 million to £8 million in recent days.

"The German goalkeeper is expected to undergo a medical with the newly-promoted side next week, with last details being finalised between the two Premier League clubs," as per The Athletic's David Ornstein.

Balogun will follow the Germany international to leave Arsenal on a temporary basis. The England U21 international is behind Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus in the pecking order and Arteta is keen for the striker to play regularly at senior level.

According to Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Balogun has chosen Ligue 1 club Stade de Reims as his destination for the 2022-23 campaign. The French outfit have agreed a loan deal with Arsenal, with the medical expected to take place in the coming days.

The 21-year-old is expected to have turned down interest from a number of Premier League clubs in order to move to France. Reims lost their main striker Hugo Ekitike to Paris Saint-Germain, which could allow Balogun to have a more prominent role with the first-team squad.

A number of other Arsenal first-team players have also been made available for transfer. The likes of Hector Bellerin, Pablo Mari, Ainsley-Maitland Niles, Lucas Torreira, Reiss Nelson and Nicholas Pepe are also expected to leave before the end of the transfer window on Aug. 31.