Personal terms agreed, fee agreed – Arsenal set to announce perfect signing

Personal terms agreed, fee agreed – Arsenal set to announce perfect signing

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Arsenal are on the brink of signing Lucas Torreira after agreeing a five-year contract with the midfielder ahead of a £26.5m move from Sampdoria.

Unai Emery is looking to bring in a new defensive midfielder this summer and Torreira emerged as a top target with various reports over the past week claiming we’ve been in negotiations with Sampdoria over a deal.

Yesterday, the Daily Star cited reports from Italy as saying that Arsenal had agreed a £26.5m fee with the Serie A club – which is more than his £22m release clause as we paid a premium in order to pay the fee in installments.

Personal terms were all that stood in the way but it seems we’ve overcome that hurdle as Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Arsenal agreed a five-year contract with Torreira during talks with his agent on Tuesday afternoon.

and Borussia Dortmund to the Uruguayan international’s signature so Torreira looks set to become Emery’s second major signing of the summer following the arrival of Stephan Lichtsteiner from Juventus.

The 22-year-old is currently preparing for the World Cup finals after being named in the Uruguay squad and they play their opening game against Egypt on Friday afternoon so we’ll have to move fast to get this deal over the line.

Torreira is exactly the type of player we need. He’s a ‘proper’ defensive midfielder who protects the back four, makes countless interceptions and tackles, has a good passing range, works hard and has a ‘bite’ to his game that we’ve lacked recently.

I think he’ll be the perfect addition to our midfield so fingers crossed we get this deal wrapped up soon. Granit Xhaka isn’t a defensive midfielder as he’s been exposed far too often while Aaron Ramsey loves to get forward so Torreira will help get the best out of both of them.

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BREAKING: Leno looking likely to join Arsenal.

BREAKING: Leno looking likely to join Arsenal.

Arsenal's interest in Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno is said to be increasing, and the Gunners are expected to launch a move for his services this summer after learning he has a €25 million (£22 million) buyout clause.

The Mirror's Neil Moxley reported Arsenal want the Germany international as a replacement for Petr Cech, who will soon enter the final year of his deal at the Emirates Stadium.

Cech, 35, is nearly 10 years Leno's senior and has attracted some scrutiny that the quality of his performances has declined this season, although the same could be said for numerous stars among Arsenal's ranks.

The former Chelsea No. 1 moved to north London in 2015 after Thibaut Courtois budged him out of Stamford Bridge, and JOE.co.uk celebrated some of his best moments as he approaches the end of his 14th Premier League season:

JOE.co.uk@JOE_co_uk

Is Petr Cech the best Premier League goal keeper ever? Over 400 matches 👏 200 clean sheets ⚽ 4 Golden Glove trophies 🙌 w/ @CadburyUK https://t.co/HpXfkQj4AH

Leno is nearer the other end of his career and could leave the BayArena for an affordable sum in the summer, seven years after he moved to Leverkusen from Stuttgart.

Despite joining as a youngster—he was 19 at the time—Leno quickly established himself as Die Werkself's go-to man between the posts and has reigned ever since, making more than 300 appearances in Leverkusen colours.

Manager Arsene Wenger will leave the Emirates this summer, making it as good a time as any for Arsenal to invest in the goalkeeper position. Leno looks likely to be a part of Germany's 2018 FIFA World Cup squad and boasts a big potential upside at only 26.

It was recently suggested Arsenal could have Napoli for competition in the transfer market this summer, although Goal's Ronan Murphy pointed to evidence that suggests to the contrary:

Ronan Murphy@swearimnotpaul

Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno will not be going to Napoli. His agent Uli Ferber to Bild: "I can confirm that there were negotiations with Napoli, which we have broken off. Napoli is not an option." Atletico Madrid and Arsenal are the other strong rumours. #B04 #AFC

The Gunners will be glad to have the Serie A giants as one less contender they need to beat to Leno's signature, with news of a buyout clause sure to stir interest among European suitors.

As well as seeing standards drop in open play, it seems Cech's decline has seeped into dead-ball scenarios, too, per Indy Football:

Indy Football@IndyFootball

Petr Cech has conceded 16 of the 17 penalties he's faced as Arsenal goalkeeper. Not the best record. https://t.co/4kS4BeC6zF

David Ospina has been second-choice stopper at Arsenal since arriving four years ago, but it could be Cech who sits as deputy for his last year with the club, as long as he remains beyond this summer.

Leno's buyout clause puts him within reach of the Premier League outfit, the only questions being whether he'll be the man who gets their approval as a Cech successor and if they can beat any rivals to his signing.

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Arsenal release nine players including Santi Cazorla and Per Mertesacker

Gunners release 9 players and offer 6 stars new deals

Arsenal have published their end of season retained list on the Premier League's official website.

It shows the Gunners have released nine players and offered contracts to six others.

Santi Cazorla and Per Mertesacker are by far the biggest names on the released list. Cazorla, who has endured injury hell over the past few years, has already confirmed he will return to Villarreal for pre-season training in a bid to regain full fitness.

German defender Mertesacker announced his decision to retire earlier in the season.

Jack Wilshere leads the names of Arsenal players with the word "offer" next them. The 26-year-old is still yet to put pen to paper as his future at the Emirates remains in doubt.

Released: Marc Bola, Santi Cazorla, Alexander Crean, Aaron Eyoma, Ryan Huddart, Chiori Johnson, Hugo Keto, Per Mertesacker and Tafari Moore. 

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Lucas Torreira ‘agreement reached’ with Sampdoria

Arsenal bosses have registered their interest in Torreira with his agent Pablo Bentancur.

The Uruguay international is available for £21.9m (€25m) due to a release clause in his contract.

And, according to Calciomercato Sampdoria, Arsenal have an agreement in place with Sampdoria because they are ready to immediately pay the buyout fee.

The Gunners reportedly face a race against time as the clause expires at the end of the month.

They also face rival interest from Borussia Dortmund and Napoli, who risk losing Jorginho to Manchester City.

Bentancur has asked interested parties to give him a week to consider every offer on the table.

But the agent’s financial demands as part of the deal are also a potential stumbling block, according to Calciomercato Sampdoria. 

To further complicate matters, Torreira will be in Russia for the World Cup after making Uruguay’s 23-man squad for the tournament.

Torreira has made 74 appearances in all competitions for Sampdoria since joining from Pescara in 2015.

He is under contract with the Serie A club until the summer of 2022.

Arsenal have made one signing so far in this transfer window.

Switzerland international right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner, 34, will join from Juventus when his Juventus contract expires.

A deal is also imminent for Borussia Dortmund centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos, 29.

Arsenal have also held talks over a move for Freiburg rising star Caglar Soyuncu, 22.

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Arsenal have opened talks with Barcelona over Ousmane Dembele,

Arsenal have opened talks with Barcelona over Ousmane Dembele, according to reports in Spain.

Gunners head of recruitment Sven Mislintat has sat down with representatives of the player to try and thrash out a deal.

Spanish outlet Sport claim Mislintat has stayed in contact with Dembele from the time they were together at Borussia Dortmund.

The 21-year-old made just 12 starts in La Liga for Barcelona this season following a blockbuster £97m transfer from Dortmund last summer.

Dembele has struggled for game time following the arrival of Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool.

Liverpool are beating Arsenal in the race to sign Monaco ace Thomas Lemar, according to the bookies.

BetStars Director of Trading Ian Marmion said: “Monaco star Thomas Lemar has emerged as one of Europe’s brightest young talents and the Frenchman is expected to be in high demand following this summer’s World Cup.

“Liverpool were within touching distance of completing a move for the 22-year-old back in January and the Reds are the outright favourites at 6/4 to get their hands on the Monaco star this time around.

“Arsenal are next in the running at 4/1 to finalise a deal for the highly-rated youngster who they were supposedly touting in January as a potential replacement for the outgoing Alexis Sanchez.

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Arsenal to bid £60m for Bayern Munich midfielder Corentin Tolisso?

Bayern Munich midfielder Corentin Tolisso has reportedly emerged as a possible transfer target for Arsenal.

Last month, it was suggested that new Gunners boss Unai Emery would be given as much as £70m to spend in the summer window but it appears that the Spaniard is ready to use a large chunk of that to make a major addition.

According to CalcioInsider, Emery wants to sign Tolisso and is willing to part ways with £60m to bring the Frenchman to the Emirates Stadium.

The 23-year-old has just completed his first campaign at the Allianz Arena, with nine goals and six assists coming from 34 outings in the Bundesliga and Champions League.

However, while reports have suggested that a number of star men could leave Bayern this summer, the German giants are said to be unwilling to sanction the sale of Tolisso for any price.

The former Lyon player still has four years remaining on his contract.

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Arsenal Transfer News: £35m Seri revelation, Ramsey drops hint,

Arsenal target Jean-Michael Seri will be allowed to leave Nice for the right price this summer, reporter Dharmesh Sheth has claimed.

He told Sky Sports: “I’m being led to believe that there’s an agreement with his club that he will be allowed to leave for £35m.

“Now, it’s really interesting actually because he almost joined Barcelona.

“Intriguingly, last summer, Arsenal’s current head of football operations, Raul Sanllehi, was the director of football at the Nou Camp and they wanted Jean-Michael Seri.

“Fast forward to January, Emery tried to sign him for Paris Saint-Germain.

“Arsenal are interested, there has been a long-standing history of the people at Arsenal being interested when they’ve been at previous clubs.

“So potentially, I think if Emery had his way, he could be his first signing.”

Aaron Ramsey says he’s excited to start working with new Arsenal boss Unai Emery despite rumours he could leave north London.  

The Welshman midfielder has been linked with a summer move to Manchester United among other clubs.

But it appears he’s set to stay at the Emirates and is looking forward to meeting Emery.

Ramsey said: “I haven’t spoken to him at all yet, but I think it’s an exciting time for the club. I can’t wait to get back there now.”

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Arsene Wenger: 'Arsenal tried to sign Lionel Messi'

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that the club tried to sign Lionel Messi from Barcelona in 2003.

The Gunners were interested in three Barcelona players - Messi, Gerard Pique and Cesc Fabregas - before they broke into the first team at the Camp Nou, but were forced to settle for only the latter, who went on to make more than 300 appearances for the club.

Pique instead joined Manchester United before returning to Barcelona, whereas Messi stayed at Barcelona his entire career and has since established himself as arguably the greatest footballer of all time.

"The story of Cesc Fabregas is that Franny Cagiago and Steve Rowley brought the player here and we had to convince him. I met Cesc's parents and at the time we were interested in Messi and Pique as well," Wenger told Arsenal's official website.

"We tried for the three but of course it didn't work out, but we got a gem there in Cesc and he is an exceptional player. A brain for football. [It didn't work out with Messi and Pique] because of the agents. I think it was linked with Nike at the time and they wanted Pique to go to Man United.

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Ornstein reveals plan as Sokratis Papastathopoulos deal close

That’s according to BBC Sport journalist David Ornstein, who says Sven Mislintat is behind the Gunners’ move for the Greece international.

Arsenal are in the midst of a summer of change following Unai Emery's appointment as Arsene Wenger's successor at the Emirates.

Emery takes on the role of head coach in the club's new continental model, with Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi in charge of recruitment.

And Ornstein, who broke news of Emery's appointment, says the 29-year-old's arrival is part of a wider plan to buy seasoned stars.

"As per @JackPittBrooke Arsenal close to signing Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Dortmund," he wrote on Twitter.

"Latest acquisition led by Sven Mislintat, continues drive to rebuild defence/squad with experience/leadership.

"#AFC prioritising ready players & will integrate youth (eg Mavropanos) over time."

Arsenal are said to be paying around £16m for Papastathopoulos, who joined Dortmund from Werder Bremen in 2013.

They are believed to have budgeted for just £50m net spend going into the summer window - far less than those of their Premier League rivals.

Transfer guru Guillem Balague believes Arsenal can make that projected amount work by boosting their funds with sales though.

"Up until now, as everybody knows, everything had to go through Arsene Wenger but Unai Emery is happy to repeat the same position he has had at Sevilla, Valencia and PSG in which he was a head coach," said Balague.

"This means - if it's the same infrastructure - he can advise on what kind of players he needs and the club goes and gets them, for instance, and he won't have much of a say in the amount of budget that's needed. That will be down to the club.

"He will do what he is the best at - maximise the potential of the side and take the players out of their comfort zone. He will try and put a different kind of training, an intense training, in place with the idea that it gets transmitted into the games.

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Arsenal linked with cut-price Stoke midfielder

There has been much talk about Arsenal’s very small transfer war chest; 50 million if you believe some rumours and 70 million if you believe others. With it looking like Emery’s first signing is going to be the free agent Stefan Lichsteiner from Juventus it is entirely possible that Arsenal could also be tempted by the Senegal international Badou Ndiaye, who could have a cup-price get-out clause after seeing Stoke City relegated this season.

Badou (real name = Papa Alioune Ndiaye) only arrived at Stoke from Galatasary in January and has only played 13 times for the Potters, but it has been revealed he can leave by the Galatasaray correspondent Mehmet Ozcan, who was quoted as saying: “Ndiaye has a clause in his contract so he could leave on certain conditions. From Turkey I know that Fenerbahce and Besiktas met his representatives over a potential move.

“I also know that three clubs from the Premier League want him.”

Ndiaye was very highly rated at Stoke despite them getting relegated and he could be a surprise star of the future. He is big and strong and could help out the Gunners leaky defence next season. He only cost Stoke £14m in January so could by a value signing. Is he worth a gamble at that price?

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Arsenal 'eye Lorenzo Pellegrini move'

Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini this summer.

Pellegrini, 21, scored three times in 37 appearances for Roma during the 2017-18 campaign.

The midfielder only returned to Roma last summer following a spell at Sassuolo, but it is understood that he has a £26m release clause inserted into his current deal.

According to Sky Sports News, new Arsenal boss Unai Emery is interested in signing the three-time Italy international, although Juventus are also considering an approach.

Pellegrini featured in Italy's 1-1 draw with England back in March.

According to Sky Sport Italia pundit Gianluca Di Marzio, Arsenal and their new manager Unai Emery have set their sights on Pellegrini for next season.

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Guardiola: I knew Man City would win the title in September

Having seen his side crowned Premier League champions, the Catalan coach claims to have known that success was coming from very early in the campaign

Pep Guardiola claims to have known that Manchester City would be crowned Premier League champions since seeing them beat Chelsea in September.

The Catalan coach saw his side state their intentions early on in 2017/18 , with a 1-1 draw at home to Everton in August followed by a 20-match winning run in all competitions.

That surge carried them clear in the English top-flight , while also making positive progress in the Carabao Cup and Champions League.

Two of those trophies have now been secured, with Guardiola revealing that he knew success was on the cards after overseeing a narrow 1-0 win over the defending Premier League champions on September 30.

He said: “I think winning at Stamford Bridge gave us the confidence that we could do it. Because last season against other contenders we were not so good. We won few games.

“Winning at Stamford Bridge gave us a feeling of, ‘OK, against the last champions, we are able to come here and play.’

“But in general we were so, so stable. And OK, Sergio [Aguero] is a genius, a top player about 30 years old but the other guys are 20, 21 years old, so we won with guys so young.

“Playing in the Champions League at that age, sometimes it is complicated. But maybe it will be a lesson for the future for them and next season.

“Now we have to try [to get better]. If you read what the people say this week we have to improve. But you cannot deny that we were good this season. Every single day.

“To make 18 games in a row winning you have to be mentally strong.

“That is important to build up the club. It is important to believe because Manchester City is not like United or Chelsea or Arsenal – you know, the big clubs in England who have a big history behind them.

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