Find £24m or take a hike, that's the message from Sporting Lisbon to Arsenal as the Gunners circle the Portuguese club's midfield maestro, William Carvalho. According to the Daily Telegraph, Arsenal have already made a £24m offer for the player, but it was rebuffed because the London club wanted to pay the money in two instalments.
It's believed that the 22-year-old Carvalho has a £35m buyout clause in his contract but Sporting would be prepared to drop the price but not if it means paying the money in two parts. As a result the deal hangs in the balance but the Telegraph speculates that Arsenal will accede to Sporting's wishes in order to get their hands on the defensive midfielder who has been likened to a young Patrick Vieira.
The future of Thomas Vermaelen will be decided this week, claims the Daily Star in an exclusive, with the paper saying that Manchester United are "set to move" for £10m Arsenal captain. The Red Devils' initial bid of £6m was knocked back by the Gunners but the Star says that United will table a second offer this week in the region of £10m. That should be enough to persuade Arsene Wenger to part with the Belgian blocker.
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Goal.com says Wenger's recent comments suggest that he could be on his way. The Arsenal manager said: "I cannot guarantee [that he will stay]... but, should he go, I would bring another centre-back in for sure."
Apparently new United boss Louis van Gaal sees Vermaelen "as a key signing" as United veteran Patrice Evra prepares to join the Old Trafford defensive exodus and join Juventus.
Vermaelen has just a year left on his contract and it's believed a move to Old Trafford would result in his wage packet jumping from £65k-a-week to £90k. The Star adds that Van Gaal is also poised to make a move for two more defenders as he looks to bolster United's back four: Mats Hummels of Borussia Dortmund and Feyenoord's Stefan De Vrij.
Meanwhile is Van Gaal still in with a shout of landing Arturo Vidal? In an interview with Italian rag Tuttosport, Juventus director Pavel Nedved admitted that the club hasn't ruled out the possibility they might be forced to sell the Chilean – and also French playmaker Paul Pogba – if a crazy money offer came their way. "We want to keep all our best players, including Vidal and Pogba," said Nedved. "We don't want to sell anyone, especially Vidal... [but] if there were a high bid for them, we'd have to think about it."
United have long been linked with a move for Vidal while recently Chelsea have been mentioned as a possible destination for Pogba.
Over in Spain, Real Madrid are apparently poised to land Colombian World Cup star James Rodriguez. The Daily Mail claims that the Golden Boot winner will move from Monaco in a £60m deal on Wednesday, and his arrival at the Bernabeu could have consequences for Premier League clubs if it prompts a clear-out.
The paper says that Angel di Maria and Sami Khedira could both be offloaded as a result of the move, even though manager Carlo Ancelotti is adamant he wants to keep Di Maria, and Arsenal's efforts to sign Khedira have come to naught on account of his extravagant wage demands.
A more likely outcome is that youngster Isco, covered by Man City and Liverpool, will leave as he falls further down the pecking order.
Meanwhile, BBC Sport is one of several media organisations that report that Liverpool have signed Loic Remy. The Reds have "agreed an £8.5m fee with QPR" for the 27-year-old Remy, who scored 14 Premier League goals last season while on loan at Newcastle. Arsenal had been linked with Remy but Liverpool snuck in first as they prepare for life after Luis Suarez.
And it's not just Suarez who is emptying his Anfield locker. The BBC also reporting that Liverpool have "accepted a £14m offer" for Fabio Borini from Sunderland. The Italian frontman spent last season on loan at the Black Cats and he's now made the switch permanent.
Staying in that neck of the woods, the Sunday People claim that Newcastle "want to take Geordie hero Andy Carroll back to Tyneside". Since leaving St James' Park for Liverpool in January 2011, Carroll's career has gone downhill faster than an England cricket captain's batting average. A £15m move to West Ham failed to get Carroll firing again and the People says Newcastle boss Alan Pardew "believes he can persuade" West Ham to sell Carroll following the Hammers' acquisition Ecuadorian hitman Enner Valencia.
