The transfer window is beginning to hot up with only five and a half weeks until the beginning of the 2020/21 campaign.
No sooner has the previous Premier League season ended than the new one is already on the horizon.
For the biggest teams, getting business done early is imperative in order for new signings to bed down sufficiently before the season starts.
Haggling over prices and personal terms is to be expected of course, but it’s in the interest of every club, player and agent to move quicker than usual given the current situation.
Parachuting a new signing in at the last minute will not only not be good for business – with clubs more desperate and therefore expected to pay a premium – but it will upset team equilibrium at precisely the wrong time.
To that end, Arsenal need to get the Philippe Coutinho deal over the line.
According to Sport, the north Londoners are in advanced talks with Barcelona who are prioritising the Brazilian’s departure.
The outlet suggest that the next few days could be decisive in getting the deal done, with Coutinho’s agent, Kia Joorabchian, turning his attentions to that particular piece of business once he has concluded countryman Willian’s move to the Gunners.