Arsenal set to terminate contract of star they signed in 2020, player set to join UCL rivals - Reports

Arsenal are reportedly prepared to terminate the contract of goalkeeper Alex Runarsson, as well as his loan deal with Cardiff City midway through the season. The Icelandic goalkeeper is set to join Danish giants and UEFA Champions League campaigners FC Copenhagen as a free agent.

Iceland international Runarsson signed for Arsenal in 2020 after an impressive stint in France with Dijon and was the side's second-choice goalkeeper. As is normal for backup goalkeepers, Runarsson didn't play much, leading to a temporary exit from the club in search of regular minutes.

Belgian club OH Leuven moved first, taking the 28-year-old on loan for the 2021-22 season before he joined Alanyaspor in Turkey for the 2022-23 season. His loan to Championship side Cardiff City was his third since Mikel Arteta brought him to Arsenal.

Alex Runarsson failed to stake his claim at Arsenal, with first Bernd Leno and Aaron Ramsdale keeping him on the bench. As per Fabrizio Romano, he has now reached an agreement to end his unproductive time at the club and will move for a second stint in the Danish Superliga.

Runarsson was the Player of the Season for Danish side FC Nordsjaelland in 2018. His form earned him a place in the Iceland squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

He will now return to the country to join FC Copenhagen, where he will provide competition for Kamil Grabara between the sticks.

In his time at the Emirates, Runarsson played six games, keeping three clean sheets. Meanwhile, he appeared eight times for Cardiff City across all competitions this season and had a solitary clean sheet.

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Multiple academy graduates leave Arsenal in January window

While the Arsenal first team has had quite a quiet January transfer window, the same cannot be said of their academy. Several youngsters have chosen to leave the club, some on loan and others permanently this month, as per David Ornstein and Fabrizio Romano.

Aston Villa signed teenage full-back Lino Sousa on a permanent deal this month. Meanwhile, 21-year-old midfielder Miguel Azeez is set to move to Spain's third tier permanently. Similarly, Bradley Ibrahim joined Hertha Berlin, and Charles Sagoe Jr. joined Swansea City on loan.

Manager Mikel Arteta is set to continue with the same players that have been at his disposal since the start of the season, while the youngsters gain experience elsewhere. The Gunners are likely to move for some big-money additions once more in the summer as they did in 2023. They signed the likes of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz for around £200 million last summer.