Arsenal expected to seal £9.3m deal for Brentford captain Christian Nørgaard

Arsenal have offered an up-front £9.3m for Brentford’s captain, Christian Nørgaard, as they attempt to secure a replacement for Thomas Partey and are poised to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea this week.

Arsenal’s bid for 31-year-old Nørgaard is at an advanced stage and a deal is expected to be agreed.

Partey, whose contract expires next week, has yet to decide on his future having been offered a new deal on slightly reduced terms but looks increasingly likely to leave. It is understood that Arsenal have identified Nørgaard as a player who could add experience to Mikel Arteta’s squad after the departure of Jorginho for Flamengo.

Their offer for the Denmark international, who has been at Brentford since 2019 and played more than 120 games in the Premier League, is believed to be worth up to £15m including add-ons. Nørgaard has two years on the contract extension he signed in March.

The departure of the head coach Thomas Frank, a compatriot, for Tottenham and and the opportunity for Nørgaard to play in the Champions League mean Arsenal received encouragement that the Dane is willing to join them and the transfer looks likely to be wrapped up swiftly.

Brentford are expected to appoint Keith Andrews as Frank’s successor, having agreed a deal with their set-piece coach.

Nørgaard would be expected to compete for a place with the Spain midfielder Martín Zubimendi, who is due to complete his £35m move from Real Sociedad next week.

Partey is believed to have offers from Saudi Arabia and Turkey and has been linked with Barcelona and other Spanish clubs in recent weeks.

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Arsenal have agreed to pay Arrizabalaga’s £5m release clause. The 30-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Bournemouth, remains the world’s most expensive goalkeeper having joined Chelsea for £72m from Athletic Bilbao in 2018. He will vie with David Raya for the No 1 jersey.

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