Arsenal could lose race to sign Claudio Marchisio

Italian outfit Roma are the latest club to make eyes at Manchester City's James Milner, while the Sky Blues are reportedly going head-to-head with Arsenal for the services of French firecracker Samuel Umtiti. And the Gunners are going to have to battle Liverpool and Man Utd if they want to capture Claudio Marchisio. So another quiet day at Transfer Talk towers…

Could Claudio Marchisio be coming to England? The Daily Express thinks so, the paper reporting that the Juventus midfielder is being monitored by Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United. The 29-year-old was recently tipped to sign on for another stint in Turin but now his agent (and dad) Stefano Marchisio has scotched those rumours. "I read that Claudio was close to signing. I can confirm that is not true," he declared. Asked about interest from England in his son, Marchisio replied: "I did receive a few phone calls, above all from top Premier League clubs. Of course we can only be flattered and this underlines Claudio's excellent season so far."

The race to sign Manchester City and England midfielder James Milner is intensifying with the Daily Star claiming that Roma have now joined Arsenal and Liverpool in the hunt for the Sky Blues playmaker. Milner's contract expires at end of the season and the Star claims he will leave the Etihad on a free transfer after no new deal was forthcoming. Liverpool are believed to be favourites to land Milner, "with the proviso that he will accept a significant cut to his £120,000 per-week wages", but the news of Roma's interest could be a game-changer. According to Italian paper Gazzetta dello Sport, Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini has "already discussed a potential move" with Milner, and official negotiations are expected to begin shortly.

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If Manchester City aren't interested in retaining Milner, they certainly seem keen on snapping up Lyon defender Samuel Umtiti. According to Talksport, the 21-year-old is being eyed up by City, Arsenal and Tottenham. Described by Talksport as "as a future star of French football", Umtiti has been scouted this season by the three English clubs. European champions Real Madrid are also said to be interested in the France under-21 international but it's reported in the French press that Lyon will "demand over £20m for Umtiti".

West Ham United used their official website to announce that Winston Reid has signed a new six-and-a-half year contract with the Club. The news will come as a blow to Arsenal and Spurs, both of whom had been tailing the 26-year-old centre-back in recent months. But in penning the new deal, the New Zealand international declared: "At the end of the day, for myself I feel comfortable here. I was speaking with the Joint-Chairman David Sullivan and everybody, and felt like I was valued here. He was clearly very committed to getting the deal done and keeping me at the Club, so I'd like to thank him for that and I'm delighted to sign for the next six years.

Contrary to rumours that have circulated in recent days, Real Madrid centre-half will not be leaving the Bernabeu but will "sign a new deal" for the Spanish giants. The Mirror claims that the 32-year, who has been linked with the two Manchester clubs and Arsenal this year, will remain loyal to Real, but that as a result it "may open the door for Chelsea target Raphael Varane". Apparently Varane is becoming frustrated at his lack of game time in Madrid and the fact that Pepe is going to pen a new deal he could listen if Chelsea come calling. The Mirror adds that the French centre-half is "Jose Mourinho's number one defensive target".