The Gunners reportedly secured a verbal agreement with the 26-year-old and are ready to activate his £51M release clause despite interest from Real Madrid who were said to be the frontrunners for the midfielder after Luka Modric announced he would be departing the club now the season has ended.
This is according to the BBC which revealed that all the relevant documents in relation to the Spain international's switch to the Emirates have been signed, with the deal entering its closing stages. The Spanish international is set to sign for the Gunners as soon as he passes his medical, as all payment structures between Sociedad and Arsenal already agreed.
The Real Sociedad star has been on the radar of Premier League clubs for a long time with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool close to signing him in previous windows. Now, the North London side are ready to make their first signing as soon as the summer transfer window opens and manager Mikel Arteta will be delighted to get business done so early.
Talks over new contracts for Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Gabriel, Leandro Trossard, Thomas Partey, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri are also ongoing in what is a busy few months for new sporting director Andrea Berta who will have his hands full in the coming weeks.