Arsenal after 'starlet' Samper and 'wonderkid' Alcacer

Chelsea join Gunners in hunt for young talent as they chase Villa 'whizzkid' Grealish

Paco Alcacer at a training session
(Image credit: JOSE JORDAN/AFP/Getty)

If it's not 'wonderkids', then it is 'whizzkids' or 'starlets' wowing the Premier League's finest this week. And Talksport kicks things off today with one of the former as Arsenal and Chelsea eye up "Spanish wonderkid Paco Alcacer". Leaving aside the fact the striker is 21, and perhaps a tad long in the tooth to be described as a kid, Talksport claims that Valencia are "frantically working on a new contract" for Alcacer as the two London clubs lurk in the background. The frontman made his debut for Spain last week in their friendly against France and scored the first goal in Spain's 5-1 victory over Macedonia on Monday. Apparently Valencia are so desperate to keep hold of Alcacer they are prepared to break the bank to stave off interest from Arsenal and Chelsea.

Moving on to 'starlets', that is the soubriquet bestowed on Barcelona midfielder Sergi Samper by the Daily Mirror. It's believed that Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger "has gone back in" to try to sign the 19-year-old, three years after his first attempt. On that occasion Samper opted to remain at the Camp Nou and the Mirror claims it will "take some persuading" to get him to leave this time, as he has his heart set on making a name for himself with Barcelona. But Wenger is cautiously optimistic that if he meets Barca's buy-out clause of £9.5m he might get his hands on Samper.

As for the 'whizzkid', that's how the Daily Star describes Aston Villa's Jack Grealish. The paper claims that Chelsea "are on the trail" of the 18-year-old winger and have been monitoring his progress for months at Villa Park. The Villans are currently in talks with the teenage wideman about a new contract and the Star says that those negotiations are "delicately poised". With Grealish's current deal running out next summer, Villa will reportedly offer him a long-term deal worth about £5,000-a-week, but moneybags Chelsea may yet make a head-turning offer of their own "that would severely test the youngster's loyalty".

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Finally, back to the Gunners and the Daily Express says that one of Transfer Talk's regulars - Klaas-Jan Huntelaar – is being tailed by Arsene Wenger, and not for the first time in recent seasons. Liverpool and Tottenham are also in on the act, all of which has given Schalke the willies. As a result the Express claims that the German club will offer their star striker "a new contract in a bid to ward off interest" from the Premier League trio. Described by the Express as a "predatory hitman", the 31-year-old Huntelaar has a year to run on his current deal and Schalke don't want to lose him on a free transfer next year.

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Bill Mann is a football correspondent for The Week.co.uk, scouring the world's football press daily for the popular Transfer Talk column.