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Arsenal are aiming to shave a reported £17m off their outgoings as they look to strengthen the squad.

Arsenal are prepared to part ways with one of their highest-paid players as Mikel Arteta looks to reinforce his side.

One of manager Mikel Arteta’s earliest tasks after arriving at the Emirates Stadium in 2019 was to bring the club’s wage structure under control. With players such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil having left north London on free transfers, Arsenal have consistently been interested in reducing salary costs as much as generating money through sales.

That may again prove to be the case in the final weeks of the transfer window, with the Gunners looking to move on players who are on substantial wages.

A report from Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb claims Napoli are working to create room in their squad to sign Gabriel Jesus, with Romelu Lukaku close to leaving Italy once again.

FourFourTwo understands Arsenal would be willing to listen to offers in the region of £20m for Jesus — less than half of the fee they paid to sign him in 2022 — in order to release funds for other business.

According to Capology, Jesus remains the third-highest earner at London Colney behind Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, taking home around £265,000 per week, with only one year left on the contract he signed four years ago.

Jesus was a transformative addition when he joined from Manchester City, leading a surprise title push in 2022/23 and changing the shape of Arteta’s attack, with the Gunners collecting 50 points from their opening 19 matches of that campaign.

But after the Brazilian picked up a knee injury at the World Cup in Qatar, Jesus has found it difficult to rediscover that level, first losing his place in Arteta’s team to Havertz and then to Viktor Gyokeres, as the Basque manager has shifted away from using the same false-nine approach in his line-up.

After returning in 2024/25 and showing encouraging signs with a hat-trick against Crystal Palace, Jesus then suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in an FA Cup tie against Manchester United, which left him as a peripheral member of the squad.

FourFourTwo understands Arsenal are also open to allowing the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Reiss Nelson and Fabio Vieira to leave, which could release more than £300,000 a week further from the wage bill.

Martinelli is believed to be earning around £180,000 a week after signing a long-term extension in 2023, while Nelson is also thought to be on a six-figure weekly salary.

The Hale End graduate has featured in only 50 Premier League matches for the Gunners since making his first-team debut in the competition nearly a decade ago, but he was handed a new deal in 2024 after scoring important goals in Arsenal’s title challenge against teams including Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth.

Jesus is valued at €17m, according to Transfermarkt. Arsenal face Coventry City when Premier League action resumes with the opening match of the 2026/27 season.