Christos Tzolis has been dropped from Club Brugge's pre-season friendly against Heerenveen to avoid any risk of his £33.9m move to Arsenal falling through, Greek journalist Dimitris Manakos revealed. The 24-year-old winger was omitted from tonight's fixture with the Dutch side as the Premier League champions accelerate his signing.
Arsenal have reached a verbal agreement with the Belgian club for the Greece international, paying 40m euros (£33.9m). The Gunners are yet to table a formal offer, but that is viewed as a formality, and personal terms will not be an issue. Once the bid is submitted, Tzolis is expected to undergo a medical on Sunday or Monday and will sign a long-term contract after travelling to London this weekend.
“Arsenal close to signing Christos Tzolis for £33.9m; winger dropped from Club Brugge friendly to avoid transfer risk.”
Sporting director Andrea Berta has worked on the deal after his assistant Maurizio Micheli watched Tzolis play for Greece against Sweden last month. The move comes after Leandro Trossard's departure to Besiktas, leaving Mikel Arteta keen to strengthen his wide options for the title defence. Tzolis has scored 22 goals and provided 29 assists in 52 Belgian top-flight appearances, and he recently captained Brugge in a 3-1 friendly defeat to Feyenoord, scoring a stunning curling strike.
The signing is separate to Arsenal's pursuit of a high-profile forward. The club retains a long-term interest in Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez, their priority target, though Barcelona and Real Madrid are also keen. Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers is the preferred option for a versatile forward, but Villa reportedly value him at £130m, and Arsenal's efforts will accelerate once Rogers finishes his World Cup campaign with England. Paris St-Germain's Bradley Barcola is the alternative if a deal for Rogers cannot be reached.
Tzolis looks set to become Arsenal's third summer arrival, after Piero Hincapie made his loan from Bayer Leverkusen permanent for £34.5m and Illan Meslier joined from Leeds United. The Gunners ended a two-decade wait to reclaim the Premier League title last season and Arteta is eager to add further quality before the new campaign.
