Almost Done: Arsenal in final negotiations for star man – Deal to be completed in 48hrs

David Ospina’s move to Besiktas seems to be almost inevitable at this stage, but Arsenal and the Turkish club are still in dispute over his final transfer fee, according to reports in Turkey.

Turkish outlet Sozcu write that Arsenal demanded €5m (£4.7m) for the goalkeeper, but Besiktas offered significantly less, at just €1.5m (£1.3m).

Nonetheless, talks are still progressing, with the expectation that the two clubs could meet around the £2-2.5m mark.

A deal is expected to be done by the Premier League transfer deadline this week. This isn’t actually necessary, since Premier League clubs can still sell players abroad after the deadline. Both clubs would prefer to get the situation sorted before then though.

Personal negotiations between Ospina and Besiktas are reportedly at an advanced stage, and he seems keen to make the move.

Meanwhile, fellow Turkish outlet Milliyet write that the deal is so likely to happen that we’re just on a ‘countdown’ to the announcement. They write that the final barriers to the deal are more to do with Ospina’s wage demands though, so there’s little consensus between reports over what’s actually standing in the way of the transfer.

The most telling sign that Ospina is on the way out is the fact he hasn’t returned to training with Arsenal.

Granit Xhaka, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Lucas Torreira and the rest all came back last Monday, but not the Colombian. Hopefully the club will resolve the situation soon.

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