Arsenal to make new £17m bid after completing Noni Madueke transfer

Arsenal are set to submit a new £17m bid for Cristhian Mosquera after completing a controversial move for Chelsea winger Noni Madueke.

Following a subdued start to the summer transfer window, Arsenal have bolstered Mikel Arteta’s squad with the signings of Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Madueke is set to become Arsenal’s fourth summer signing after the Gunners agreed a deal with London rivals Chelsea worth over £50m.

The deal for Madueke has not proved universally popular among Arsenal fans. The hashtag #NoToMadueke has been trending on X and a petition calling for the club to pull out of the transfer has been signed more than 4,000 times.

Arsenal’s transfer activity looks set to continue following Madueke’s arrival at the Emirates Stadium as the Gunners continue to work on a deal for Viktor Gyokeres and step up their pursuit of Mosquera.

Arteta is keen to bring Valencia defender Mosquera to north London but Arsenal failed with their opening offer for the 21-year-old.

Arsenal’s first bid was worth around £11m but Mundo Deportivo say the Premier League club are ready to raise their offer to £17m, the figure Valencia are asking for.

Mosquera only missed one league game last season and has quickly become a key member of Valencia’s first team since graduating from the club’s academy.

Predominantly a centre-back who can also play on both defensive flanks, Mosquera has represented Spain throughout the age groups and has been tipped as a future international star.

Mosquera will likely join Madueke at the Emirates Stadium after Chelsea decided to sell the England winger to Arsenal for over £50m.

Madueke has made 80 appearances for the Blues over the past two seasons but his form has fluctuated heavily.

Spending over £50m on a player who will likely play back-up to the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli has prompted criticism from some Arsenal fans.

Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand has labelled the reaction from some fans as ‘disgraceful’.

‘For a young English footballer to be vilified, bullied, embarrassed and totally strip down at a time when you’re meant to be celebrating a transfer worth £55m,’ Ferdinand said.

‘Yes, a young kid with a dream about to secure a £55m dream move to a club of his desire leaving a rival at that to be treated in this manner via section of the Arsenal fan base is an utter disgrace.

‘Just put yourself in his shoes for one minute, just put yourself in his parents’ shoes for one minute and just think of how that feeling must be.

‘I’ll say it again, at a time as a player, as a human, as a family, you should be celebrating.

‘I just hope the people that are closest to him are around him and supporting him in the way that he needs right now.

‘It’s fine for fans to disagree with signings or decisions made at their football club but the way some fans have publicly voiced their opinions and those who have gone a step further in publicly joining a petition for this player not to be signed by their football club is beyond me.

‘I have never seen anything like this before, and I hope I don’t ever again.

‘Just imagine if this was your best friend, one of your family members, your brother, son… then tell me how would you feel if they were on the receiving end of this vulgar behaviour?

‘By the way, this isn’t aimed at all Arsenal fans, it’s just a small section who have become very loud unfortunately.

‘I just hope the transfer goes through and Noni Madueke rams all of this negativity back down the throats of these impostors. Whatever happens from here, good luck Noni.’

Another key objective for Arsenal this summer is to sign a new striker, with Gyokeres the club’s first-choice option.

The Gunners are struggling to reach an agreement with Sporting Lisbon but reports in Portugal say Gyokeres still fully expects to end up in an Arsenal shirt.

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