Arsenal transfer news: Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez '99%' certain to join Gunners, says Arsène Wenger

The pair are set to arrive at the Emirates for a combined total of £52m

Wenger is confident both deals will be completed (Getty)

Arsene Wenger is “99 per cent confident” that Arsenal will sign Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez for a combined £52m this weekend, as the club scramble to bring in reinforcements in the final days of the transfer window.

Arsenal have agreed deals with Valencia for German centre-back Mustafi, and with Deportivo La Coruna for Spanish striker Perez, costing £35m and £18m respectively.

After taking just one point from their first two Premier League games, Arsenal need reinforcements, especially up front and in defence. But this week they have finally confirmed deals for two players from La Liga.

“We are working on the deals,” said a confident Wenger at his press conference on Friday morning. “We are not close enough to announce today that they will sign for us, and will we sign anybody before the end of the transfer window? I am 99 per cent confident.”

Arsenal signed Granit Xhaka from Borussia Monchengladbach at the start of the transfer window but have had a frustrating time since then, missing out on top targets Jamie Vardy and Alexandre Lacazette.

Only now, with the third game of the Premier League season coming this weekend, have Arsenal completed their shopping and Wenger revealed it had been a difficult time to do business.

“It was a strange transfer market,” Wenger reflected. “I expected it to be easier than ever but it was more difficult than ever. Not a lot has happened.

Perez, left, and Mustafi will become Arsenal's fourth and fifth signings of the summer (Getty)

"It looks like when you meet other clubs and you have an English passport, you hit these [big] prices which are very difficult to understand compared to the quality of the players. It looks like it will be frenetic for me in the last three days.

"Everybody has sat on their pounds until now. We know they will all splash out now. I expect the next three days to be very, very busy, so be on alert.”

Arsenal play Watford tomorrow afternoon and Wenger is still weighing up whether to bring Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud back in after their post-Euro 2016 break.

“Mesut is not far now, that is a decision I have to make in the next 24 hours,” Wenger said. “Giroud is still a little fraction behind physically.”