SILLY season is fully under way, with Arsenal being linked to every available player under the sun.

The club’s first two signings, however, are more expected than exciting, with the Gunners preparing to announce a £27million deal that will see goalkeeper David Raya’s loan from Brentford made permanent.

Then comes arguably the biggest bit of business of the summer as far as the Arsenal project in concerned, with the club said to have offered Mikel Arteta a bumper pay rise to extend his stay.

Offering an insight recently into how he has taken to the managerial game, Arteta said: “When I decided to stop my career as a football player I thought that all the joy and best moments were gone, and I was totally wrong because when I started my coaching and managerial career, I love it even more.”

In regards to Arteta’s and Arsenal’s plans to strengthen their squad, it’s worth remembering that there’s still over a week to go before the transfer window opens on June 14.

When it does, the player being most heavily linked with a move to Ashburton Grove – for this week at least – is RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko. The 21-year-old enjoyed an eye-catching debut campaign in the German top-flight, scoring 18 goals, including two in the Champions League.

What makes the Slovenia international a sought-after target for a number of top clubs is his reported £55m release clause, which is thought to expire at the end of the month.

There are a number of fierce forwards available this summer, and Sesko certainly represents the bargain buy alternative – especially with other potential targets including Napoli superstar Victor Osimhen and Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak attached to £100m-plus price tags.

One thing that is for sure is that there will be plenty of space available within their squads after Arsenal announced this week that they will release 22 players at the end of the month when their contracts expire.

The majority of the players leaving are academy talents, although there are also some familiar senior names on the list of departures, too, including Mohamed Elneny, Cedric Soares and Vivianne Miedema.

Wrapping up his eight-year stay in north London, Elneny said: “It breaks my heart – that’s why I refused to take to the field [for the lap of honour] because I was so full of emotion. But that’s life, my time here has come to an end and I’m very proud of what I’ve done for this club. I love these fans and I gave everything that I had. I appreciate everything they did for me, in the good moments and the bad, and they’re always going to be in my heart forever.”

Arsenal also noted that there are three more young players – Amario Cozier-Duberry, Karl Hein and Reuell Walters – who will be out of contract come June 30, but added that discussions about their futures are ongoing.