Thursday Cannon Fodder: transfer rumors, this, and that

I’m going to try something a bit different today for CF. There have been rumors / updates on the major transfer stories around Arsenal over the last day or two, not enough for a full post, although #content, traffic numbers, page views, etc. might say otherwise. But it’s not been enough for me, personally, to feel like I should write an entire separate article slash the rumors have come from sources that don’t rise to my usual “go with it” standards.

So I’m going to give you a few bullet point updates for y’all to talk about. Let me know if you want to see more CFs like this. Maybe once a week?

• Arsenal have reportedly verbally agreed to a fee for Gabriel Jesus. There isn’t any word on what it would be, but the last I saw, the clubs were talking in the £50M range. Jesus still needs to pass a medical and sign his contract, which is thought to be for around £220K per week. Jesus reportedly made it clear to both Spurs and Chelsea that he was more interested in Arsenal and reuniting with Mikel Arteta, or put differently, he rejected Tottenham. The lad knows what he’s about.
• Arsenal definitely had a low-ball bid for Raphinha rejected by Leeds United. The latest I saw was that they want £60M+ for him, which feels a bit steep to me. With Chelsea, Spurs, and maybe another club or two interested in signing Raphinha, it seems like Leeds are trying to spark a bidding war. My gut feeling is that Arsenal, if they sign him, aren’t going to end up paying that much. The other London clubs are said to be more interested in Richarlison, which feels like code to me that they know Raphinha is most likely headed to the Emirates if he ends up going anywhere.
• Atalanta are interested in Nuno Tavares. Arsenal want it either to be a straight loan or a £35M sale, nothing in between. As of now, the Serie A side doesn’t want to play ball. After the Lucas Torreira situation with Fiorentina, I can see how Arsenal would be hesitant to do loan business with Italian clubs.
• There was another Alvaro Morata rumor — that he could be a backup option should Gabriel Jesus’ deal fall through. Arsenal aren’t signing Morata, even if Jesus’ deal collapses. Stop it, media.

Have y’all seen anything else floating around out there?