Gunners target two central midfield stars to boost lineup.
Arsenal are hopeful of wrapping up a double move to boost their central midfield options next week as they close in on deals for Sporting Lisbon’s William Carvalho and Atletico Madrid’s Josuha Guilavogui.
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The Metro reported on Saturday morning that the Gunners were close to agreeing a deal for the Sporting Lisbon star.
Having been a major target for both Manchester United and Real Madrid this summer, Carvalho’s move was made difficult thanks to the £37m release clause installed in his contract, though the Portuguese giants are now said to be willing to lower that fee considerably.
The Gunners have been in dire need of a new defensive midfielder ever since Alex Song moved on to Barcelona in 2012, and have themselves been linked with a plethora of names ahead of the upcoming season.
However, despite being one of the most in-demand names in European football now, it is believed that only Arsenal have launched an official bid, a £24m offer was rejected by Sporting last week, and the Gunners seemingly have a clear path to his signature now.
The two clubs are close to agreeing a fee for the youngster, which is thought to be closer to the fee that was rejected by the Portuguese side.
Arsenal are also said to be considering launching an £11.5m move for Atletico Madrid midfielder Joshua Guilavogui, the Metro also reports.
In a move to seemingly boost their options in the defensive midfield area, manager Arsene Wenger is believed to be keen to add to the potential signing of William Carvalho by bringing in the 23-year-old.
It is a move that Wenger has already performed in the right-back slot, having signed both Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers earlier this summer.
The Frenchman has been put up for sale by the Spanish champions after he failed to impress boss Diego Simeone, and spent the previous campaign on loan at Saint Etienne.
However, Arsenal may face competition for his signature in the shape of Bundesliga giants Wolfsburg, who are also thought to be keen on snapping him up.
The Gunners are also in talks with Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira, though Wenger has been eager to line up a backup option just in case he misses out on the German World Cup winner.
Guilavogui has seemingly caught Wenger’s eye as he represents a cheaper alternative to Khedira, and his ability to play at centre-back means his versatility gives him an added value.
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