Arsenal are close to selling Krystian Bielik to Derby County, according to reports in the UK. The deal for the Polish Under 21 international could be worth as much as £10m, including add-ons.

The size of the fee will surprise many Gunners fans as the 21-year-old has only played twice for the club’s first team. The defender spent last season out on loan at League One side Charlton.

Even though Arsenal won’t receive all of the £10m upfront, it is expected that a sizeable portion will be added to the London club’s transfer kitty to finance more incomings.

Manager Unai Emery has expressed his desire to strengthen his options at centre-back. Following the 1-1 friendly draw against Angers last night, he said:

“We are speaking about the centre backs, but we have a lot of centre backs, we have good centre backs, and if we can sign one more centre back, it is because he is clearly better than we have.”

With Laurent Koscielny expected to leave the Emirates, and William Saliba staying on loan at Saint-Etienne, signing a new centre-half before deadline day is likely to be a priority for the Gunners. Whether they’ll get a deal over the line, we shall see.