Arsenal transfer news: Jamie Gittens message sent as Gunners receive Nico Williams boost

Arsenal's 1-0 win over Newcastle on Sunday saw the club secure a second-placed finish in the Premier League for the third season in a row and Mikel Arteta's side will be desperate to win the title next year.

As a result, they are gearing up for a huge summer in the transfer market, with the club's co-chair Josh Kroenke outlining their plans in a recent letter to fans. "We plan to invest to get behind winning and doing better next season," Kroenke wrote.

"We're delighted we have our sporting director, Andrea, who will play an important role in this. He is part of a unified and strong team, supported by the board, who are crystal clear on exactly what we need to do and the way in which we want to do it. The right way. The Arsenal way."

With that in mind, here's a round-up of the latest Arsenal transfer news and rumours...

Barcelona have pulled out of the race to sign Arsenal target Nico Williams, who reportedly has a €58million (£49m) release clause in his Athletic Bilbao contract.

"Nico Williams was one of the candidates last season, but we decided on Olmo," Barcelona president Joan Laporta told TV3. "And other options are currently being considered."

That will come as a boost to Arsenal after it was reported that new sporting director Andrea Berta has already held talks with the forward about a potential move to the Emirates this summer.

Arsenal have also been linked with Borussia Dortmund star Jamie Gittens and the club's sporting director Sebastian Kehl has refused to rule out selling the winger this summer.

"There's definitely a market for him," Kehl told Sport1 when asked about Gittens' future. "He's a very exciting player. We'll be having discussions soon. If offers come in, we'll have to deal with them."

Dortmund are set to offload players this summer, with Kehl admitting they need to lower their wage bill. He added: "We want to reduce wages. That said, it's possible we'll continue with some of these players. But some may no longer be part of the BVB squad next season."

Arsenal are in the race to sign Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres and will receive a major boost if rivals Manchester United lose the Europa League final.

United are also interested in Gyokeres, but the 26-year-old wants to compete for silverware at the highest and the Red Devils will fail to qualify for next season's Champions League if they fail to win the Europa League.

As a result, Arsenal would be well-placed to beat United to Gyokeres' signature. The forward is understood to have a gentleman's agreement in place with Sporting that will allow him to leave for a fee of around £60million.

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