Arsenal looking to ‘offload up to 11 players’ as £72m man Nicolas Pepe leads Mikel Arteta’s ruthless summer clear out

Arsenal could ship out up to 11 players before the end of the transfer window as Mikel Arteta pulls no punches in his summer shake-up.

The Gunners narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification in May but, judging by their summer exploits, Arteta’s side are doing everything they can to fine tune their squad and go one better this season.

According to The Sun, Arsenal are looking to offload up to 11 players between now and the end of the summer transfer window on September 1.

Many are stars who were sent out on loan last season including Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira, who is in talks over a permanent switch to Turkish side Galatasaray, and Folarin Balogun, who has been linked with a loan move to French club Reims.

The cluster of undesirables also include Bernd Leno who is inching close to a switch to Fulham whilst Hector Bellerin’s future remains unclear as he angles for a move to Real Betis despite them currently unable to match Arsenal’s £10million asking price.

The biggest name in the planned exodus is that of £72m signing Nicolas Pepe who has struggled for form since arriving in north London from Lille in 2019.

Pepe only managed five starts in the Premier league under Arteta last season suggesting the Spanish tactician is no longer willing to offer the 27-year-old any more chances.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles spent last season on loan at Jose Mourinho’s Roma and despite returning with a Europa Conference League winners medal, he looks unlikely to be a key figure in Arteta’s set-up this season.

Arsenal are well placed to cater for a barrage of departures after an active summer in the transfer market.

The Gunners raided Manchester City for Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, whilst adding Porto midfielder Fabio Vieira, American goalkeeper Matt Turner and teenage Brazilian winger Marquinhos.

Arsenal kick off the Premier League season on Friday evening against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park – a game you can hear live on talkSPORT.