Brentford director of football Phil Giles has confirmed Christian Norgaard is likely to complete a transfer move to Arsenal.
The Gunners first made contact with Brentford to gauge Norgaard’s potential availability earlier this month and a fee of £10million has reportedly been agreed between the two clubs for the 31-year-old midfielder.
Mikel Arteta has been eager to further strengthen his options in the middle of the park this summer, with the club having already wrapped up a deal for Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi.
Arsenal have been forced to turn to the transfer market after Jorginho left on a free transfer to join Flamengo. Thomas Partey also looks set for the exit door at the Emirates upon the expiration of his contract over the coming days.
While Sevilla’s Lucien Agoume had also been on Arsenal’s radar, Mikel Arteta favoured a midfielder with Premier League experience which saw Norgaard come to the fore as the Gunners’ primary target.
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Personal terms are not expected to be a problem for the Denmark international, formerly of Brondby, Fiorentina and Hamburg.
‘Arsenal approached us in the last two weeks about Christian – we’ve spoken regularly with Andrea Berta,’ Brentford chief Giles told Sky Sports when asked for an update on Norgaard.
‘As it stands, I think it’s more likely to happen than not.
‘But we have to go through the full process, tick all the boxes, and we’ll see at the end of it.’
Giles holds no resentment towards Norgaard, insisting the Dane has ‘earned the opportunity’ to join a club competing for major silverware.
‘He’s been a fantastic player for us, unbelievable,’ he added.
‘I’m actually happy for him that he has earned the opportunity, at this stage of his career, age 31, to go and have the opportunity to win some trophies.
‘It isn’t done yet but we are aware that, if and when he does depart, we also have a leadership void to fill. We’ll look to cover it.’
Norgaard joined Brentford when the club were still in the Championship back in 2019 and the midfielder has gone on to make 196 appearances in all competitions for the Bees.
The Dane’s current contract with Brentford runs through to June 2027.
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