Arsenal Reach Agreement With Fulham For £8m Transfer

Arsenal and Fulham have come to an agreement for the transfer of Bernd Leno, reports Sky Sports' Dharmesh Sheth.

Leno joined the Gunners in the Summer of 2018, and immediately endeared himself to the Arsenal faithful with match-winning performances.

At one time in his Arsenal career - in the latter stages of the Unai Emery era - the German was single-handedly keeping his side in games on a near weekly basis.

Recent times have seen the 30-year-old fall out of favour, with England International Aaron Ramsdale dislodging him soon after his arrival from Sheffield United last Summer. 

With that, Fulham are looking to sweep in.

The Cottagers have now agreed a fee in principle with Arsenal in the region of £8 million. 

Finer details are still to be sorted, as well as a medical for the former Bayer Leverkusen man.

But at this stage, all signs point towards Fulham signing their man.

Bernd Leno has been a victim of circumstance, rather than there being a drastic decline in his capabilities as a shot-stopper.

Once Arteta joined the club, the team's goalkeeper became much more than a shot-stopper.

The goalkeeper became an individual fundamentally linked to building up play, creating chances from the back.

Unfortunately for the German, this distribution is simply not a facet of his game, a deficiency amplified when compared to Ramsdale’s distributive excellence.

Regardless, the Gunners faithful will look back on the time that Leno spent with the club fondly.

Ever the consummate professional, Leno’s performances as a shot-stopper were regularly beyond excellent, saving the club from the abyss at times.

It was simply time for both parties to head in a new direction.