The summer transfer window has now begun, with rumours and speculation continuing to swirl as Arsenal eye possible reinforcements.
The Gunners spent more than many expected last summer - most notably their club-record purchase of Nicolas Pepe - but were more reserved in January as they focused on bolstering their defensive options.
Here, Sports Mole rounds up the latest news on possible comings and goings at the Emirates Stadium.
Saturday morning's Arsenal transfer talk news roundup:
Philippe Coutinho 'determined to fight for Barcelona spot'
© Reuters
Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho is reportedly determined to fight for his place in the side following his return from Bayern Munich.
The 28-year-old spent the 2019-20 campaign on loan with Bayern, helping the German outfit to claim a treble and scoring twice in their 8-2 win over parent club Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Coutinho had been deemed surplus to requirements by Ronald Koeman's predecessors Ernesto Valverde and Quique Setien, and has been heavily tipped to leave Barcelona again this summer, either on loan or on a permanent basis.
However, The Mirror reports that the Brazilian wants to prove himself to new manager Koeman as he looks to play a role in the club's new era.
Coutinho declined the opportunity for an extra rest period after his involvement in the Champions League final and returned early to training with Barcelona on Friday.
📍 Ciutat Esportiva
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 4, 2020
⚽️ @Phil_Coutinho has joined preseason training pic.twitter.com/4TaWcgbIsd
The former Liverpool playmaker had been linked with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City in the Premier League.
Alexis Sanchez asked to leave Manchester United after one training session
© Reuters
Alexis Sanchez has revealed that he was open to leaving Manchester United after just one training session with the club.
In January 2018, Sanchez was involved in a swap deal which saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan move in the opposite direction to Arsenal, a double transfer which did not pay off for either team.
Sanchez has since completed a permanent switch to Inter Milan, a deal which materialised after he spent the 2019-20 campaign at San Siro.
However, the Chile international has revealed that he wanted to depart Old Trafford before having played a single game for the North-West giants.
Speaking to followers on Instagram, the attacker said: "I accepted the opportunity to go to United, it felt tempting and it was something good for me, I liked this club a lot when I was a kid. Eventually I signed but I didn't ask for information on what was happening inside the club.
"Sometimes there are things that you don't realise until you get there, and I remember the first training session I had, I realised a lot of things.
"After the session I got home and I told my family and my agent 'can you not rip up the contract to go back to Arsenal?'. They laughed, I told them there's something that doesn't sit right, it doesn't seem good.
"But I already signed, I was already there. After the first few months I carried on having the same feeling, we weren't united as a team in that moment."
Sanchez only scored five goals from 45 appearances in all competitions for United.
More transfer news from Arsenal:
Arsenal re-sign Dani Ceballos on loan from Real Madrid
Arsenal re-sign Dani Ceballos on a season-long loan deal from Real Madrid. Read more.
Napoli president confirms interest in Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos
President Aurelio De Laurentiis reveals that Napoli are looking to sign out-of-favour Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos. Read more.
