Arsenal have swooped to strike a deal to sign Brentford captain Christian Norgaard after failing to agree a contract renewal for Thomas Partey.
Norgaard is poised to move across London for £10million and up to £5m in add-ons pending a medical.
Personal terms are yet to be agreed but are not expected to scupper what would be a dream move for the 31-year-old Denmark international who joined the Bees in 2019 and has been hugely influential in their rise to the Premier League.
Partey’s contract expires at the end of the month and while Arsenal refuse to rule out the idea of reaching a renewal agreement in the coming days this clinical move for Norgaard is a clear statement that they will not be held to ransom by excessive wage demands.
Norgaard will strengthen Mikel Arteta’s midfield with proven Premier League experience and leadership qualities.
He signed a new two-year deal at Brentford in March because he did not want to uproot his family amid serious interest from Benfica.
But the idea of a move across the capital to the Emirates Stadium where he can challenge for titles and compete in the Champions League in the twilight of this career has proved too tempting.
The Bees must feel as if they have been under attack since the end of another successful season punching above their weight in the Premier League.
They have already lost head coach Thomas Frank and three of his backroom staff to Tottenham, and Manchester United are close to agreeing a £60m deal to sign Bryan Mbeumo.
Frank was interested in taking Mbeumo to Spurs but the Cameroon forward appears to have already set his heart on a move to Old Trafford.
The new Spurs boss was also keen on Norgaard, who played for him in the youth ranks of Denmark’s national teams and at Brondby.
Arsenal though have done their business at speed, offering Brentford what they consider to be good value for a mature so closely aligned to Frank and his style of play.
Arteta and new sporting director Andrea Berta are limbering up for an ambitious summer of trading at the Emirates Stadium.
They are expected to sign Spain international Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad for £55million as a replacement for Jorginho, who moved at the end of his contract to Flamengo in Brazil.
