Arsenal transfer news today: Done deals, live updates and rumours - August 3

Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live Arsenal transfer news blog on Monday, August 3!

Stay up to date with all of the latest developments surrounding the incomings and outgoings at the Emirates Stadium, as head coach Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta prepare the Gunners for their Premier League title defence.

Today's Arsenal transfer headlines

Man United 'investigate' Myles Lewis-Skelly move

Ezri Konsa stance 'revealed' amid Arsenal interest

Arsenal transfer news today: What's happening on August 3?

A significant Bruno Guimaraess boost arrived late on August 2 when Newcastle United were reported to be preparing a bid of between £30m and £34m for Inter Milan midfielder Petar Sucic as a potential replacement, a move widely read as the club quietly accepting that their captain's departure to Arsenal is inevitable.

Direct talks between the two clubs are said to be ongoing, with Guimaraes thought to have personal terms in place and those close to the deal continuing to describe progress as positive despite Newcastle's weeks of public resistance.

A separate question around how Arsenal finance such a large outlay came into focus when Manchester United were reported to be investigating the feasibility of signing academy product Myles Lewis-Skelly, valued at around £38.5m.

Arsenal are not actively looking to sell the 19-year-old, who signed a new contract until 2030 only last summer and impressed in midfield in the 4-1 pre-season win over Girona, though a sufficiently large offer above that figure is said to be the only scenario in which the club would consider it.

On the defensive front, Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa is reportedly open to holding talks with Arsenal if a formal offer arrives, with Arteta understood to have identified the 28-year-old as a William Saliba replacement while the Frenchman recovers from injury.

Villa are said to be asking for fee of £60m for Konsa, who has made 286 appearances for the club and has two years remaining on his contract, though financial and regulatory pressures on the West Midlands side mean they cannot be completely dismissive of a sufficiently mammoth approach.