Arsenal secure Debuchy, and Morata deal could be back on
Gunners back in for Real Madrid striker, but Khedira agent talks down prospect of Arsenal move
It might be grim up in Grimsby, but there are rich pickings further north in Newcastle, particularly if your name is Arsene Wenger. And according to ITV, the Arsenal manager will today "confirm the signing of France defender Mathieu Debuchy" from the Magpies.
The Gunners have been chasing the 28-year-old - a member of the French World Cup squad which reached the quarter-finals - ever since Bacary Sagna decided to join Manchester City on a free transfer to further his career and feather his nest.
ITV says that Arsenal's capture of Debuchy has been all but confirmed by Newcastle's signing of Holland full-back Daryl Janmaat from Feyenoord. Consequently, the Magpies are now "happy to finalise the departure" of Debuchy. It's believed Arsenal will pay Newcastle £10m as Wenger looks to strengthen his squad ahead of the new season.
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Alexis Sanchez has already bagged and tagged from Barcelona, but Wenger's summer spending spree is only just beginning. The nutty professor, once known for being tighter than a pair of Cristiano Ronaldo's shorts, has opened the purse strings of late and ITV claims that Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina, Egypt international defender Ahmed Fathi and Atletico Madrid's teenage right-back Javi Manquillo are all being monitored.
But might Arsenal be out of luck when it comes to Real Madrid playmaker Sami Khedira? According to the German's agent, Jorg Neubauer, talk of Khedira joining Arsenal is as premature as England's exit from the World Cup. "We are not in talks with Arsenal," Neubauer told Sky Sports. "I don't think a fee can have been agreed, otherwise I would have been told. When a club have an interest I am sure they will call me and we will speak about things."
However, Caughtoffside claims that the Gunners are back in the game as far as Alvaro Morata is concerned. The 21-year-old striker was set to join Juventus but that was before Antonio Conte resigned as manager, throwing the deal into turmoil.
The Italian club's outgoing boss had been the orchestrator of the transfer from Real Madrid and now that he has left Turin, Morata finds himself back at pre-season training with the European champions but facing an uncertain future.
Caughtoffside says that coach Carlo Ancelotti still intends to ship out the striker to the first big bid. Arsenal had been circling the young frontman earlier in the year and the breakdown of his move to Turin has "reignited the interest" of Wenger, though apparently he faces competition from German outfit Wolfsburg and Villarreal of La Liga.
Perhaps the departure of Conte from Juventus is one reason why Manchester United are poised to miss out on Arturo Vidal. The Daily Star reports that the Chilean playmaker won't be coming to Old Trafford despite the best efforts of Louis van Gaal.
The new United boss had made signing the 27-year-old a "top priority", according to the Star, but the paper quotes Juventus' chief executive officer Giuseppe Marotta, who said of Vidal: "He is one of the most important players in the squad... many things have been written. We've never put him up for sale. Important clubs have asked after him, but we have never sat down to talk. The player decides and yesterday Vidal showed that he is happy to continue with us."
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