Newcastle United's top four rivals announce transfer 'agreement' as another ‘in talks’ over long term deal

Arsenal are reportedly hoping to shake off their disappointment at missing out on the Premier League title by tying down manager Mikel Arteta to a new long-term contract.

The former Everton and Rangers midfielder was named as successor to Unai Emery midway through the 2019/20 season after spending time working alongside Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and has quickly established the Gunners as serious challengers to his old club. After winning the FA Cup during his first six months in charge, Arteta continued to strengthen his squad in the following seasons and has second second place finishes in the last two years.

After pushing City to the final day of last season before narrowly falling short in their bid for a first Premier League title in two decades, Arsenal will hope to go one better next season and their plans are set to get underway with Arteta’s signature on a new deal. Football Insider have reported the Spanish boss is ‘in ongoing talks’ with the Gunners hierarchy and discussions between the two parties are ‘progressing nicely’.

Significantly, the report also suggests there is ‘background interest’ in Arteta from a number of elite European clubs but Arsenal believe they can warn off potential suitors by tying down their manager on a long-term agreement as talks head towards an advanced stage.

Spurs agree loan deal for Germany international

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed to extend Timo Werner’s loan spell at the club until the end of next season, with the option to make the deal permanent.

The RB Leipzig forward joined Spurs on a half-season loan deal in January and scored two goals and provided three assists in 14 appearances as Ange Postecoglou’s side missed out on a place in next season’s Champions League. With thoughts now turning towards the new campaign, Spurs have now made a firm move to secure the services of the 28-year-old for at least another 12 months. Postecoglou assessed Werner’s future earlier this month as he praised the Germany international for the impact he has made - but stopped short of committing to a longer-term deal for the former Chelsea star.

He said: "The only reason for that is that it's not about the here and now, it's about the overall strategy. I'm talking about where I want us to be (in the) next six months to be in a better place than today. Timo we signed until the end of the season on loan and he's part of that strategy to see what we need to do in the summer and can we do it.

"Are there going to be other gaps and where does Timo fit in with that strategy? So we have a plan in place, and that was irrespective. I think he's been very good for us. He came in at a really important time in January when Sonny (Son Heung-Min) was away (at the Asian Cup), then Richy (Richarlison) got an injury. We were short in wide areas. Him coming in was very helpful for us and I think he's made an impact but in my mind to make those definitive decisions, I still need some clarity about what we've got here first."

That clarity has now come following the end of the Premier League season as Spurs have now agreed to extend Werner’s loan spell until the end of next season. Significantly, there has reportedly been an amendment to the option Spurs had to sign Werner on a permanent basis, with the required fee down to £8.5m from the initial £15m agreement that was reached in January.