Arsenal transfer news: Wilshere Bournemouth move makes sense

Arsenal transfer news: New £20m bid for Shkodran Mustafi

03 August

Arsene Wenger is poised to make what Goal.com describes as an "increased bid" for Valencia defender Shkodran Mustafi in the hope of securing his signature before the start of the Premier League season on Saturday week.

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The 24-year-old German international was apparently the subject of a £15m bid from the Gunners earlier in the summer which came to nothing. But with Per Mertesacker out injured until Christmas, Wenger is ready to bid "around £20m" in the coming days.

Mustafi is currently in England preparing for his club's friendlies against Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, and according to Goal.com the defender "is flattered by the interest and open to moving to north London". Wenger is also hoping that Mustafi's friendship with compatriot Mesut Ozil will play a factor in his bid to bring him to the Emirates.

Elsewhere and the Evening Standard reports that David Ospina has had a "change of heart and is willing to remain at Arsenal". With Wojciech Szczesny on the verge of joining Roma permanently, the Colombian keeper appears ready to remain at the Emirates as back-up to Petr Cech despite rumours in June that he wanted out.

Ospina came in for some criticism last season after gifting a goal to Olympiakos in a Champions League tie in October but he atoned for his gaffe after Christmas, and he looked in sharp form on Monday in the Gunners win over Chivas de Guadlajara in L.A. Asked after that match about his future, Ospina replied: "I have a contract with Arsenal, I'm happy with the team."

Arsenal transfer news: Thomas Vermaelen set for shock return

02 August

As every reader knows, "sensational" is a word that The Sun likes to bandy around but surely it's the most apt description of the news that Arsenal are poised to re-sign Thomas Vermaelen.

Known to his friends as the 'Verminator', the Belgian blocker walked out on the Gunners in 2014 in search of baubles at Barcelona, only to end up surplus to requirements. Now it seems the central defender could do a Mathieu Flamini and come crawling back to north London with his tail between his legs.

The Sun says that the injury-prone defender, who arrived at the Emirates from Ajax in 2009, is at the centre of a tug-of-war between Arsenal and Italian side Roma, with the latter having already tabled a £13m offer for the 30-year-old defender. But it's believed Vermaelen would prefer a return to the Emirates and Barcelona "are mulling over an offer from Arsenal" to make thge Belgian's wish come true.

Talking of defenders, the Hammers have suffered a blow in their attempts to strengthen their defence ahead of the new season.

According to the Sun West Ham had hoped to take Kieran Gibbs on loan because Aaron Cresswell is out for up to four months with a knee injury. But while manager Slaven Bilic had identified the 26-year-old Gibbs as the experienced left-back he was looking for, Arsenal have "rejected" the approach with the Gunners experiencing their own defensive injury problems at the moment with Per Mertesacker out until Christmas.

And there's more defensive gossip in the Daily Star with the paper claiming that Arsenal "have made a £13.5m offer" for Torino’s Bruno Peres.

Manchester City and Barcelona have also been linked to the Brazilian defender, who has a further four years left to run on his existing deal with the Italian outfit. But the Star says Arsenal scouts watched Peres in action last week in a friendly and were so positive in their reports to Wenger that the Nutty Professor has allegedly made his "interest concrete with an official bid."

Arsenal transfer news: Mauro Icardi and Johnny Evans hunted

01 August

The latest striker to be linked with Arsenal is Inter Milan marksman Mauro Icardi.

The Gunners have been blown out by most of Europe's top frontmen this summer with Lyon's Alexandre Lacazette the latest to give Arsene Wenger the brush-off. Now the Daily Star says that the Frenchman is ready to table a £50m bid for the 23-year-old Icardi, although the paper also adds that Wenger has not totally given up on Lacazette and may up his original bid of £29.3m.

But with Lyon adamant that their man is not for sale for any price, it seems likely that Arsenal will have to turn to Plan B.

The Star explains that Inter have "opened the door for a move for Icardi" with club president Erick Thohir apparently ready to listen to offers in excess of £50m. Icardi has scored 52 goals for Inter since arriving from Sampdoria in 2013 and though Thohir is an admirer, he admitted at the weekend that "players come and go".

Meanwhile the Daily Mirror claims that Wenger is "planning a shock £15m move" for West Brom's Jonny Evans. The former Manchester United defender joined the Baggies in an £8m deal last year and the Northern Irishman is in Arsenal's sights following the long-term injury to Per Mertesacker. With the German centre-back out for several months, the Mirror says that Wenger "has zeroed in" on the 28-year-old Evans and is ready to offer WBA nearly twice as much as the £8m they paid United 12 months ago.

Then again, the Express believes that the defender on Arsenal's radar is actually Swansea's Ashley Williams. The Welsh warrior was first linked to the Emirates a couple of seasons ago and the Express reckons that Wenger is "weighing up an offer" in the region of £10m for the 31-year-old.

But what's this in the South Wales Evening Post? They'd have us believe that it's not Williams that Wenger is after but his Swansea teammate Federico Fernandez, the 27-year-old Argentine who arrived at the Liberty Stadium in 2014 from Napoli. And guess what, Fernandez's price tag is also £10m.

Arsenal transfer news: £37m for Riyad Mahrez, Jese Rodriguez next?

29 July

It's the story every Gunner wants to hear and it's not the one about Olivier Giroud finally shaving off his Gallic beard. Rather it's the claim in The Sun that Riyad Mahrez will sign for Arsenal "in the next few days".

The paper attributes the stunning news to according to Algerian media, citing a claim by news outlet Le Buteur that the 25-year-old winger will join the Gunners in a £37m deal.

The Leicester winger was recently linked with a move to Chelsea but the Sun says that is hogwash and stresses that Mahrez has "agreed terms" with Arsenal and all that remains is for the north London club to shake hands with the Foxes on the transfer fee.

The Algerian winger was named FA Player of the Year last season and Leicester gaffer Claudio Ranieri has made no secret of his wish to keep the wideman. On the plus side, however, the Sun points out that £37m isn't a bad mark-up on a player who cost Leicester £400,000 when they signed him from Le Havre in 2014.

And there could be more good news on the transfer front for Arsenal's long-suffering fans with Metro reporting that Zinedine Zidane has hinted that "Jese Rodriguez could be set for a move away from Real Madrid".

The Spanish frontman is rumoured to be unhappy at his lack of first-team football at the Bernabeu and Arsenal are said to monitoring the situation. Asked about Rodriguez's future, Zidane hardly made a case for keeping him, saying: "If he wants to leave to play more, I don't know... Everyone's here, that's all I can say now."

Liverpool are also said to be interested in the 23-year-old but Arsenal's ability to offer Rodriguez Champions League football could prove crucial in any bidding war.

Finally, The Independent says that the Gunners may have found the solution to their defensive concerns following the long-term injury to Per Mertesacker. The blocker in question is Shkodran Mustafi, the 24-year-old Germany international currently with Valencia. The Indy claims that "Arsenal were offered Mustafi" by the Spanish club earlier in the summer but Arsene Wenger was put off by the £21m price tag.

But with Mertesacker out until Christmas with a knee injury the tight-fisted Frenchman is "considering going back in for him".

Arsenal transfer news: Edinson Cavani latest to snub Gunners

28 July

Another day and another blank for the Gunners in their search for a striker. Having been blown out by Jamie Vardy, Gonzalo Higuain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, Talksport says that Edinson Cavani is the latest player to quash speculation that he might be thinking of joining Arsenal in the next couple of weeks.

Rumours have long circulated that the Uruguay striker was set to leave Paris Saint-Germain but the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Manchester United has changed his situation in the French capital.

"Yes, I want to stay here," he told French sports daily L'Equipe when asked about his future. "When the club signed me, they introduced me to a project, and I really wanted to be a part of it. I have two years left on my contract, and it is up to PSG whether they want to extend it or not."

Might the Gunners have more luck with Mario Lemina, the Juventus midfielder who Talksport says "is a target for both Arsenal and Leicester"?

The 22-year-old moved to Turin after a successful loan spell with the Italian champions and despite the fact he only signed terms with Juve in April, Talksport claims that the Gabon international "could be on the move almost straight away" if one of the Premier League pair meet their asking price of £20m. That's £12m more than Juventus paid for the 22-year-old French playmaker when they bought him from Marseille.

Finally the Daily Star reports that goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has "agreed to rejoin Roma on a loan deal with a view to a permanent move". The Polish keeper spent last season with the Serie A outfit and now he will return and in all probability remain in Italy. The Star says that the two clubs have agreed a "potential fee of £13.4m" for the 26-year-old gloveman.

Arsenal transfer news: Lyon humiliate Gunners over Lacazette

27 July

Lyon have told Arsenal that they can forget about signing Alexandre Lacazette. The Evening Standard reports that the French club have not only rejected a £29.4m offer from Arsenal for the frontman, they've also made their knock back public in what, presumably, is an attempt to humiliate the Gunners into breaking off their courtship.

They were spurred into action by a report, in French rag Le Progres, that a £40m offer had been made for Lacazette, an article to which they responded with a press statement. "The club regrets once again that the publication has not bothered to contact them before publishing the false information which creates confusion," ran the release. "The reality is that the Arsenal made an offer of £29.4m which Olympique Lyonnais did not respond to for one reason only: OL wants to keep Alexandre Lacazette because he is irreplaceable"

As the Standard says, the rejection is the "latest setback in Wenger's striker search" after the Arsenal boss lost out on Leicester's Jamie Vardy and Gonzalo Higuain of Napoli, who officially joined Juventus on Tuesday, with details of the deal carried by the BBC.

But one French striker who may yet head to the Emirates is Toulouse hitman Wissam Ben Yedder with the Daily Express reporting that the 25-year-old "is set to choose between Arsenal and Sevilla" in the coming days. Described by the paper as one of the most prolific goalscorers in Ligue 1, Yedder was first linked to the London club last season and he could be Arsenal's for as little as £8m.

That's a good deal less than the price tag hanging round the neck of Riyad Mahrez, who was rumoured to be the subject of a £42m offer from the Gunners at the weekend. But the Express says that it's Chelsea who are in fact on the brink of signing the Algerian winger and point to the bookies, who have a vested interest in this sort of thing. The Express notes BetStars have slashed the odds of Mahrez joining the Blues and linking up with former Leicester teammate N'Golo Kante.