Arsenal line up Khedira, Schar and Mings in January sales
Gunners hoping to remedy their failure to bring in defensive reinforcements in the summer
Arsenal failed to land World Cup winner Sami Khedira in the summer, but that hasn't deterred Arsene Wenger who is still chasing the Real Madrid midfielder, and hoping to sign him in January for £11m, according to the Daily Express.
The paper plays down reports elsewhere on the internet that a deal has been agreed and says the move is yet to be finalised despite "concrete interest" from Arsenal in Khedira this summer. That said, the paper does reveal that if and when Khedira arrives he will be paid £140,000 a week.
The Express notes that despite splashing £72m in the summer Wenger failed to buy a defensive midfielder or a specialist centre back. But could he be set to remedy both oversights in January?
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The Gunners and Spurs are shaping up for a tug-of-war over Swiss defender Fabian Schar in the new year. According to the Daily Star the two north London clubs were "on the Basel centre-half's trail this summer" before deciding to pursue other options. But with Arsenal experiencing a defensive injury crisis just six weeks into the season it's believed Wenger "is weighing up a cut-price deal for the 22-year-old".
Schar has had a £10m price tag slapped on him by Basel but with the defender out of contract next summer it's believed the club will look to sell him in January to the highest bidder rather than see him leave on a free at the end of the season. Apparently Spurs sporting director Franco Baldini watched him recently in action and Lilywhites scouts were also there to see how Schar performed again Real Madrid this week "with a view to a potential bid". Given that the reigning European champions cantered to a 5-1 victory over Basel, we'll leave you to draw your own conclusions as to the efficacy of the Swiss defence. Then again, with Spurs losing 1-0 at home to WBA on Sunday they'll take what they can get these days.
So perhaps that's why the Sunday People has Arsenal more interested in Ipswich Town full-back Tyrone Mings than Schar, with the paper claiming that the Gunners and Chelsea have joined Crystal Palace in the race for the former Southampton trainee. The People say that Palace manager Neil Warnock approached Ipswich in the summer with a view to purchasing Mings only to be "put off by the £2.5m asking price". Instead Palace signed Tottenham defender Zeki Fryers in a £3m deal and though Warnock is still said to be interested it's unlikely he'll be able to compete in the market now that Chelsea and Arsenal have joined the hunt.
The Daily Mirror, for its part, says that Arsenal are keeping tabs on Lyon striker Clinton N'Jie, dubbed the "new Samuel Eto'o", though who did the dubbing nobody knows. The 21-year-old N'Jie has two years left on his deal and the fact his release clause is only £800,000 has come to the attention of Arsenal. The Cameroon hitman celebrated his international debut this month with a goal against the Congo.
Finally the Daily Mail says that Manchester United "risk losing another top talent" after failing to open talks with Brazil Under-20 star Andreas Pereira. Citing the case of French star Paul Pogba, an Old Trafford youth team player who left to join Juventus, where he has subsequently blossomed, the Mail says the 18-year-old Pereira – a midfielder – has nine months left on his contract. United boss Louis van Gaal has yet to sit down and discuss Pereira's future – probably because he's trying work out how his team leaked five goals to Leicester - and as a result the Mail says other clubs are monitoring the situation of the Belgium playmaker born to Brazilian parents.
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