Arsenal receive double transfer boost after £17m Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling

Lille have been ordered to pay Sporting Lisbon €20million - around £17m - by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to settle their dispute over the transfer of Rafael Leao.

The news is good for Arsenal, as the French outfit may be forced to sell Gunners targets Renato Sanches or Jonathan David in the summer to raise the cash.

Lille could also be forced to offload Newcastle target Sven Botman.

Leao, 22, joined Lille on a free transfer in August 2018 after terminating his contract with Sporting, who claimed the player had a €45m release clause - around £37.4m.

The forward struggled to make an impact during his one season in France, scoring eight goals in 24 Ligue 1 appearances before joining AC Milan in August 2019.

The Italian giants paid Lille €23m - around £19.1m - for Leao's services. He's scored 19 goals in 83 Serie A outings since and won his first three senior caps for Portugal.

As reported by Record via La Gazzetta dello Sport, Leao was ordered to pay Sporting €16.5m - around £13.3m - by CAS in March 2020 but contested the ruling.

The fee has since increased to €20m with inflation and passed on to Lille to settle.

Former Bayern Munich and Swansea midfielder Sanches, 24, is on Arsenal's radar and has less than 18 months remaining on his existing deal.

The Portugal international told the Gunners he was interested in moving to the Emirates in January when speculation was rife.

"Maybe Milan and Arsenal are interested but I don’t know," said Saanches. "I spoke with my agent, I know which clubs are calling me but I can’t say right now.

"But I know I’m ready. If an offer comes in, I’ll find out what’s best for me."

Ex-Gent forward David, meanwhile, could be a perfect signing for Arsenal, as they are in need of a new