Arsenal to make £12m on Vela 'sale', Barcelona line up Suarez
Arsenal sell Real Sociedad player to Real Sociedad, as Suarez's father-in-law tells him to quit Reds
Arsene Wenger's reputation as a canny operator in the transfer market is not as glittering as it once was, but his latest deal shows that the old stager still has a few tricks up his sleeve.
Having earned £5m by turning down Cesc Fabregas and then seeing him join Chelsea, Arsenal could soon be £12m better off after saying no thanks to another old boy, Carlos Vela, and then somehow selling him to Real Sociedad for a second time.
The 25-year-old Mexican initially joined Sociedad on loan from Arsenal in 2011 before making the switch permanent in 2012, explains the Daily Telegraph. But the Gunners retained an option to buy him back, meaning they still had a say in his future. Now they have agreed to sell the midfielder to Sociedad outright and the deal could be worth as much as £12m says the paper. The only downside for Arsenal fans is that Vela won't now be returning to the Emirates.
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If that doesn't leave you as confused as a defensive partnership between Gary Cahill or Phil Jagielka, then how about the crossed wires over Arsenal's pursuit of Manchester United winger Nani. First of all Caughtoffside claiming that Arsenal are poised to sign the 27-year-old Portuguese star for £9m following "lengthy discussions" between the player's agent and Gunners boss Wenger. The website says that the Nutty Professor has been a long-time admirer of Nani and will bring him to the Emirates to replace German international Lukas Podolski who is apparently set to secure a summer move back to the Bundesliga.
Nani, who made just seven Premier League starts last season, is said to be up for the deal so everything looks set. But the Daily Express advises Gooners not to count their chickens, with the paper claiming that Arsenal will lose out on Nani "because they are not willing to pay more than £8m for the winger".
That's allowed both Inter Milan and Juventus to muscle in on the action with the pair prepared to offer as much as £12m for the former Sporting Lisbon star. Consequently he will in all probability move to Italy next month – unless Wenger is "willing to up his offer" in the days ahead.
Meanwhile the Daily Star says that Argentine winger Angel Di Maria is unsure of his future after hinting that his agent was in talks with several clubs about a possible move after the World Cup. Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City are all chasing the Real Madrid wide man and rumours in recent weeks have indicated Di Maria is likely to leave Spain before next season.
Asked about his future, however, and Di Maria replied: "I've asked my agent not to tell me anything about the talks he's having. I don't know what's going to happen with my career [and] I don't want to know anything about my future right now. I'm focusing on my national team and not on what's going on elsewhere."
The Star claims that Real Madrid will use the money made from selling Di Maria to fund a gargantuan bid for Liverpool and Uruguay hitman Luis Suarez.
That does not chime with reports in Spain that make Barcelona the favourites to land Suarez this summer, as the saga over his future rumbles on. The Daily Telegraph reveals that Spanish papers Sport and Mundo Deportivo have both carried stories linking the Uruguayan with the Catalan club. Mundo claims that Chile winger Alexis Sanchez could end up at Anfield as part of the deal.
Certainly Suarez's future is up in the air once again. On Monday his father in law told Spanish TV: "Luis has nothing left to prove in England. It'd be the right time to move to Spain." Coincidentally, reports the Mirror, he lives on the outskirts of Barcelona.
Over at Old Trafford, there are more signs that the David Mouyes era is dead and buried after Manchester United finally managed to sign Athletic Bilbao midfielder Ander Herrera.
The Premier League club failed to buy the Spanish midfielder, 24, in farcial circumstances on transfer deadline day last summer despite dispatching lawyers to Bilbao to seal the deal, says the BBC. But now incoming manager Louis van Gaal has revived the deal, despite being in Brazil, and a £29m deal for the player has been agreed.
Back with the Reds and Talksport says that Sevilla have told Alberto Moreno he can join Liverpool provided they stump up their asking price. Brendan Rodgers have been tracking the 21-year-old Spanish left-back for weeks and it appears Sevilla are prepared to do business. "It's true that there is interest from a number of clubs, above all Liverpool, in him, but we haven't had proper conversations about selling him," said president Jose Castro. "We haven't reached an agreement, but talks haven't broken down. We'll wait and see what happens. If Liverpool are interested in the player and pay the right amount, he will be sold."
Though Castro is too much of a gent to discuss sums, Talksport suggests anything under £25m would be considered paella in the sky by the La Liga outfit.
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