Edu is keen to finalise the signing of Arthur Vermeeren for Arsenal
Arsenal are ready to make two midfield signings in January, Liverpool plan to sell an experienced star to Barcelona and buy a Frenchman in his place, while Manchester City are preparing a mammoth bid for a Sporting Lisbon defender.
EDU READY TO MAKE ARSENAL BID FOR ARTHUR VERMEEREN
It could be a case of two in two out at Arsenal in January with the Gunners looking to sign two promising midfielders to bolster their ranks.
Mikel Arteta’s side are riding high at the top of the Premier League and have a two-point buffer to Liverpool at the summit, with champions Manchester City a further point adrift after no wins in three games.
That has rekindled talk that Arsenal have a genuine chance of title glory once again.
In the meantime, sporting director Edu, in conversation with Arteta, is best planning how to strengthen their options going into the January window which opens for business in just 28 days time.
And we exclusively revealed last month that midfielder Mohamed Elneny will likely be allowed to depart, with a move to Saudi Arabia looking increasingly likely for the Egyptian.
With a gap in their squad opening up, Tuttomercato now claims the Gunners are preparing a concrete offer to sign Arthur Vermeeren in his place.
The 18-year-old is regarded as one of Belgium football’s brightest prospects, having caught the eye in the Champions League this season.
The Gunners, alongside Barcelona and now Juventus, have tracked Vermeeren for several months. Now the Gunners are readying an approach with an opening bid in the region of €20m (£17.1m) being prepped.
Antwerp will be powerless to prevent their prized asset from leaving though could try and hold out for a bigger fee or even a percentage of any future sale.
Either way, Arsenal are ready to step up their efforts to sign the teenager and there is a belief in Italy that a move to take him to north London can soon be done.
Gunners also targeting Brazilian sensation Gabriel Carvalho
Elneny, though, is not the only midfielder likely to depart Arsenal in the coming months and it’s widely expected that Jorginho will follow him out the door next summer and upon the expiry of his deal.
Having signed an 18-month deal from Chelsea last January, the Gunners do have an option to extend the wily Italy international’s deal by a further 12 months.
But it’s reported that Edu and Arteta are planning a long-term future without him and they will allow him to move on at the season’s end.
Douglas Luiz and Martin Zubimendi remain ambitious targets to plug that gap, though any move is not expected until the summer.
In the meantime, reports in South America claim Edu is on the trail of talented Internacional teenager Gabriel Carbalho.
The 16-year-old already has a €60m exit clause in his deal, despite not yet making his senior debut. However, he has enjoyed a leading role in the Copa Sao Paulo, with Arsenal scouts closely monitoring his progress.
And it’s reported the Gunners will look to push through his signing in January, though will likely allow him to spend the next two years on Internacional’s books to continue his development.
Arsenal are well connected in Brazil and Edu regularly gets reports of the country’s top emerging talents. Now it’s claimed that with Carvalho the next big thing to emerge, an early move to Arsenal could quickly be agreed, though it will be for some distance less than the €60m clause in his deal.
LIVERPOOL TO SELL THIAGO AND MOVE FOR KHEPHREN THURAM
Barcelona have the funds to make a second January signing, alongside new Brazilian striker Vitor Roque, and are stepping up their chase to bring in a replacement for the injured Gavi, with Liverpool’s Thiago Alcantara high on their wanted list. (Sport)
Liverpool could use any funds raised from Thiago’s sale to push through their interest in Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram, though Real Madrid are also now reportedly on the trail of the French star, who is rated at €45m (£38.6m). (various)
Barcelona would ideally love to sign Giovani Lo Celso, but the Argentine’s increasingly important role for Tottenham means a deal now looks highly unlikely. (Sport)
Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah looks likely to leave in summer 2024 with Man Utd, Newcastle and Tottenham both among the sides tracking the centre-half. (Fabrizio Romano)
VfB Stuttgart are ready to push through the permanent €12m (£10.3m) signing of Deniz Undav after the Brighton loanee scored eight times in his opening 10 games for the Bundesliga club. (BILD)
Manchester United will go head to head with Tottenham over a deal to sign Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo for around €40m (£34.3m) in the January window. (Florian Plettenberg)
REAL MADRID CONSIDER PERMANENT SIGNING OF KEPA
Real Madrid are still considering whether to make the signing of Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea a permanent deal – but do plan to restore him to the side following his recovery from injury. (AS)
Newcastle and Crystal Palace are considering a €20m (£17.1m) January approach to Juventus to sign their loanee forward Matias Soule, who has caught the eye with Frosinone this season. (Gazzetta dello Sport)
Barcelona could terminate the contract of Robert Lewandowski in 2025 if they decide against exercising the conditions in his deal that entitle him to a pay increase for each of his three seasons at the Nou Camp. (Sport)
Thomas Tuchel has made it clear that Bayern Munich have no plans to sell Real Madrid and Manchester City target Alphonso Davies any time soon stating: “He’s our player and is absolutely key.” (Mundo Deportivo)
Former Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso is tempted to return to the Premier League next summer, or possibly move to Saudi Arabia with Barcelona unlikely to extend his stay. (Sport)
Barcelona are due for a €2m bonus as part of the €4m deal that takes Real Betis defender Juan Miranda to AC Milan in January, with the Catalan club receiving 50% of any transfer fee. (Sport)
Liverpool and Aston Villa will step up the chase for Nico Williams with Barcelona ruling themselves out the chase for the Atletico Madrid winger. (Mundo Deportivo)
MAN CITY READY HUGE BID TO SIGN FOR SPORTING STAR
Manchester City are readying a mammoth €80m (£68.6m) move for Sporting Lisbon defender Ousmane Diomande in summer 2024. Newcastle and Arsenal have also been watching the Ivorian centre-half. (A Bola)
Bayern Munich are set to trigger a one-year option to extend the deal of Thomas Muller, despite the 34-year-old seemingly falling down the pecking order under Thomas Tuchel and amid links to Manchester United. (Sky Deutschland)
Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo is adamant that Portugal forward Joao Felix, 24, will return to the club if Barcelonachoose not to make his loan stay at the Nou Camp permanent. (Goal)
AC Milan are considering the January sale of midfielder Rade Krunic to Turkish giants Fenerbahce. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tijjani Reijnders and Yunus Musah are all ahead of Krunic in the pecking order. (Calciomercato)
Valencia and Almeria are pushing to sign former Real Madrid, PSG and Stoke forward Jese Rodriguez, who is a free agent after leaving Brazilian side Cortiba. (Estadio Deportivo)
Tottenham are more likely to pursue a deal for Samuel Iling-Junior or Al Ittihad’s Jota after learning PSV will only sell star winger Johan Bakayoko for ‘crazy’ money’. (various)
