As Arsenal's trophy cabinet returns to gainful employment after nine long years out of work, the Daily Mirror reports that one of the new FA Cup winners' first acquisitions this summer will be Nancy keeper Paul Nardi. The paper says that the France Under-20 international "has earned rave reviews" for his performances in the French second division this season – his first professional campaign – and Arsene Wenger has identified him as the man to replace Lukasz Fabianski.
The Polish gloveman put in a hesitant display between the sticks during Saturday's gripping cup final win over Hull, but it's reported he has already made up his mind to move on in search of regular first time football. Nardi, who turns 20 this week, is also being eyed up by AC Milan and Bordeaux and the Mirror claims he comes with a price tag of £3.5m, plus add-ons.
Meanwhile The Sun says that Bacary Sagna is set to seal a "stunning" £7m-a-year switch to Premier League champions Manchester City in the coming weeks. Given that leaving Arsenal for City has ruined the international careers of Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri, it must be the money that makes the Etihad an irresistible draw for the 31-year-old Sagna. According to the Sun Manchester United attempted to "to hijack the deal at the 11th hour" but City have allegedly got their man with Sagna joining on a free transfer.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
That's good news for City's bean counters, what with the Sky Blues recently being slapped with a £49m Uefa fine for failing to adhere to Financial Fair Play rules. According to Sky Sports such is Man City's need to balance their books in order to avoid future fines that the champions are preparing to offload Micah Richards, Jack Rodwell and Scott Sinclair in a summer clearout.
Not that Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger appears too concerned at the prospect of losing the ageing Sagna – because he's already circling Toulouse full-back Serge Aurier. Metro reports that the 21-year-old Aurier, named in the Ivory Coast squad for this summer's World Cup, is Wenger's preferred target and he is ready to meet Toulouse's asking price of £7m.
In other news, the Daily Star says that Liverpool are closing in on Barcelona striker Alexis Sanchez as Reds' manager Brendan Rodgers looks to fill the hole soon to be left by Luiz Suarez. Arsenal have long been linked with a move for the 25-year-old Sanchez but Rodgers is growing increasingly desperate to sign the Chilean hitman so he's not short of attacking options when the new season starts. The Star says Barcelona want £18m for Sanchez, but might Liverpool look to cut a deal with the Catalan club?
According to the Daily Mail while Suarez is being courted by Real Madrid, Barcelona have also joined the chase and could use Sanchez as a bargaining chip in their bid to lure the Uruguayan striker to the Camp Nou. Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino resigned from the job at the weekend, after just one season in charge, and the Mail says that the battle between the two Spanish giants is set to "become the summer's big transfer saga" with the two clubs apparently ready to go up as high as £100m in order to sign Suarez.
