Arsenal enter the 2026/27 season as Premier League champions for the first time in over two decades, having pipped Manchester City to the title in a dramatic final day.
The triumph was not without its pain, however, as Mikel Arteta’s side suffered heartbreak in Europe, losing the Champions League final on penalties.
Despite already possessing one of the strongest squads in England, Arsenal have moved to strengthen their ranks ahead of the title defence.
The most significant incoming business of the summer so far is the addition of Ecuador international Piero Hincapie, who has made his loan from Bayer Leverkusen permanent for around £34.5m.
French goalkeeper Illan Meslier has also arrived on a free transfer from Leeds United, bolstering the options behind David Raya and Kepa Arrizabalaga, with the latter expected to depart.
Greek forward Christos Tzolis has joined from Club Brugge in a deal worth £35m, with the attacker having scored 22 goals for the Belgian club last season.
Tzolis is viewed as a replacement for Leandro Trossard, who has departed for Turkish side Besiktas in a deal worth approximately £15.3m after four productive seasons at the Emirates.
Poland international Jakub Kiwior has also left permanently, with Porto making his loan deal official for around £14.7m following an impressive stint in Portugal.
Goalkeeper Karl Hein completed a similar move, with his loan at Werder Bremen converted into a permanent transfer for just under £3m.
A number of younger players have also departed, with Jadon Josh Nichols, Alexei Rojas-Fedorushchenko, Samuel Onyekachukwu, Will Lannin-Sweet, Cam’ron Ismail, Seb Ferdinand, Harrison Dudziak, and Sam Chapman all released by the club.
Arsenal are also reportedly in advanced talks to sign Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes for £80m, a deal that would make him the second most expensive signing in the club’s history.
The current record remains Declan Rice, who joined from West Ham United in the summer of 2023 for £105m, comfortably the largest fee the club has ever paid.
Rice arrived with a reputation as one of the Premier League’s finest defensive midfielders and has been a central figure in Arteta’s title-winning setup ever since.
Arsenal’s record sale remains surprisingly modest by modern standards, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s £35m move to Liverpool in 2017 still topping the list of outgoing transfers.
Oxlade-Chamberlain made 198 appearances for Arsenal after joining from Southampton in 2011, winning three FA Cups and three Community Shields before departing for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.