Arsenal: Mikel Arteta puts 11 players up for sale; three deals imminent

Arsenal Football Club are expected to sell as many as 11 players this summer as Mikel Arteta looks to trim his first-team squad. Nuno Tavares and Arthur Okonkwo were the first to depart - both on loan - late last month with a number of players expected to follow before transfer deadline day on Aug. 31.

The Gunners have signed five players thus far, and Arteta is hoping to make further additions. The Spanish coach indicated that the immediate focus will first be on losing some players not in his plans for the upcoming campaign before signing replacements.

Bernd Leno and Folarin Balogun are expected to be the next two inching closer to the exit doors at the Emirates Stadium. The former will leave on a permanent basis with Fulham Football Club touted to be his next destination, while the latter will depart on a season-long loan to Ligue 1 club Stade de Reims.

Fulham have reached an agreement with Arsenal over an £8 million deal for the Germany international. Leno is expected to undergo a medical this week and put pen-to-paper on a three year deal with an option of a further year.

Balogun, meanwhile, will join the Ligue 1 club on a straight loan until the summer of 2023. The striker's wages will be covered by the French club and there is buy option included in the deal.

According to Football London, apart from the aforementioned quartet, the north London club are still seeking suitors for a number of other players. Lucas Torreira, Alex Runarsson, Reiss Nelson, Ainsley-Maitland Niles, Hector Bellerin, Nicolas Pepe and Pablo Mari have all been deemed surplus to requirements by Arteta.

Torreira has been heavily linked with a return to Serie A with the likes of Juventus, AS Roma and former club Sampdoria reportedly showing interest. But, none of the interested clubs have put forward a concrete bid that meets Arsenal's objectives.

Spain's Marca, however, are reporting that Galatasaray have agreed a deal to sign the Uruguay international. After initially demanding €15 million from Italian suitors, Arsenal are said to have accepted the Turkish club's initial offer of €5.5 million with a further €1.5 million in addons.

As it stands, Arsenal could complete five transfers before the start of the Premier League campaign on Friday. The other six players on the transfer list are still to generate concrete interest, with many clubs hoping to strike bargain deals without meeting Arsenal's financial demands.

Bellerin is keen to return to Real Betis, where he spent last season on loan, but the La Liga club has been unable to generate the funds necessary to sign the Spaniard. Arteta and Arsenal technical director Edu Gaspar will be hoping to move on all the players on their departure list in the hope of having enough time to sign replacements.