Man Utd and City vie to lure Yacine Brahimi

It's a day of mixed fortunes for the Gunners in the gossip columns with Arsenal said to be closing in on Fernando Llorente while losing out on Ezequiel Lavezzi. Meanwhile in Manchester, City and United are going head to head for the services of Yacine Brahimi

• Manchester is set for a battle royal this summer, according to Talksport, with City and United both circling Algerian ace Yacine Brahimi. The winger joined Porto from Granada in a ￡6m deal last summer after catching the eye for his country in the World Cup. But Talksport says "his pace and trickery from the left-flank" have so impressed Manchester City that the Sky Blues are readying a whopping ￡33m offer for him, just ￡7m shy of his buy-out clause. But United boss Louis van Gaal is also considering an offer and it's predicted a bidding war could break out at the end of the season.

• The Daily Mirror says that Manchester United are "weighing up" a summer move for Tottenham defender Kyle Walker, only recently returned from a long-term abdominal injury. Apparently Louis Van Gaal sees the signing of a right-back as a priority for next season and the Mirror says United have made "discreet enquiries" to Spurs about the possibility of doing a deal for the 24-year-old England defender.

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• Arsenal and Manchester United are still in the hunt for Benedikt Howedes with the Daily Express stating that the Schalke defender has put the Premier League pair "on alert" following an interview with German rag Bild. Howedes has 18 months remaining on his current deal with the Bundesliga club and when asked about his future, replied: "In the future I could move on... I can imagine going abroad to gain a new experience and I think England is possibly my next destination."

• There's mixed news on other prospective Arsenal players, with reports suggesting that Ezequiel Lavezzi will head for Italy rather than the Emirates. On the other hand, Fernando Llorente could be on his way from Juventus to north London. Click here for full details of these rumours and other Arsenal transfer news.