Arsenal have reportedly reached an agreement in principle with Fulham over the sale of goalkeeper Bernd Leno, with the Germany international now on the brink of signing for the Cottagers.
According to Sky Sports News reporter Dharmesh Sheth, an agreement has been reached between the two London sides for Leno, with the keeper now set to sign for Leno in a deal worth £8m, though a medical and details on personal terms still need to be finalised.
Arsenal have been looking to offload Leno for the majority of the summer following the arrival of USA international Matt Turner from the New England Revolution, and now, the Gunners stand on the verge of selling the 30-year-old shot-stopper, saving the Gunners a huge amount on the wage bill in the process.
Leno reportedly earns £100,000-a-week, making the keeper one of Arsenal’s highest-paid players, with Mikel Arteta also eager to offload other players who earn a similar wage, such as Hector Bellerin and Nicolas Pepe, who could be next on the Gunners chopping block.
For Fulham, Leno will likely become their fifth signing of the summer transfer window, shortly following VfL Wolfsburg defender Kevin Mbabu, who joined Marco Silva’s side this week in what could be one of the shrewdest deals of the market.
Indeed, the Arsenal keeper will be a major improvement for Fulham between the sticks, with Leno a regular for the German national team and regarded by many Gooners as a top keeper before the arrival of Ramsdale, and the Cottagers could well now have a shot of Premier League safety following the arrival of their new signing.
Hailed as ‘special’ by Arsenal star Bukayo Saka, it’s gone quite under the radar just how much of a coup Leno signing for Fulham could be for the Thameside club, with the former Bundesliga star a quality addition who could keep the club from avoiding relegation.
Fulham’s reputation as a yo-yo side has been well-documented, yet signing Leno on top of their other new additions this summer, the Cottagers could now genuinely have a shot at staying up in the Premier League if all the correct pieces fall into place.
