Arsenal could be on the verge of announcing another goalkeeping exits as Mikel Arteta continues to shape his first-team squad ahead of the new season.
The Gunners, who have signed five new players in the summer transfer window so far - including Matt Turner - appear to be beginning the process of getting those deemed surplus to requirements through the door at the Emirates Stadium, with Nuno Tavares set to join Marseille on loan.
Another Arsenal player who has long been expected to depart this summer is Bernd Leno, having lost his status as the first-choice stopper to Aaron Ramsdale last season with his agent, Joannis Koukoutrigas, revealing that he will end his four-year stay in North London in an attempt to avoid missing out on a place in Germany's World Cup squad.
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According to Sky Sports, the 30-year-old's exit is very close as they claim Premier League new-boys Fulham have reached an agreement in principle with the Gunners in a deal worth £8m and the goalkeeper will have a medical and discuss personal terms once 'finer' details have been sorted.
However, Leno is expected to become the second Arsenal senior goalkeeper to leave this summer after Arthur Okonkwo's season-long loan move to League Two outfit Crewe Alexandra was confirmed on Friday afternoon.
Despite signing a new contract last summer and earning a promotion to the first-team squad, Okonkwo didn't make a single first-team appearance last season, although he did make the substitutes' bench on seven occasions in the Premier League - including both trips to Manchester.
With that said, his shaky pre-season outing against Hibernian last summer was proof that he needs the experience of playing week in, week out and having gone an entire campaign, making just six appearances in total, it could be argued that a loan spell will be beneficial for his development.
Although with Leno and Okonkwo leaving, Arteta will need a third-choice goalkeeper to act as cover for Ramsdale and Turner next season. Luckily, the Spaniard has two options at his disposal, the first of which includes performing a surprise u-turn by handing Runar Alex Runarsson a lifeline.
Alternatively, the Arsenal manager can officially promote Karl Hein into the first-team squad. Now, the 20-year-old was involved in the 2021/22 first-team squad photocall alongside Leno, Ramsdale and Okonkwo, but there was no forthcoming announcement of a promotion.
In addition, even though Hein hasn't yet made a breakthrough with the Gunners, he's already an established Estonia international and impressed against Peterborough United during an appearance in a short-lived loan stint with Reading last season by making a stunning save to deny Jonson Clarke-Harris as early as the ninth minute, which was one of seven he made en route to keeping his first-ever clean sheet at senior level for a club side.
Whichever decision is taken remains to be seen, but considering that Runarsson doesn't appear to be in Arteta's plans for the new season, this may be a clear indication that it's just a matter of time before Hein is officially considered a senior player at Arsenal.
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