Arsenal transfer news: Lacazette, Aubameyang, Maguire, Bailly, Malcom

Maguire move

Has England defender Harry Maguire played his last game for Leicester City?

Quite possibly, according to The Sun, which claims the 26-year-old is going to be at the centre of a “£60m four-way summer tug of war”.

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Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea (if they get their Fifa transfer ban lifted) are all on Maguire’s tail, but the newspaper believes it will take a record fee for a British defender to “tempt” Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers into selling.

So how much are we talking? Around £60m, says The Sun, which argues Maguire is worth more than the £50m that Manchester City shelled out for Kyle Walker.

Arsenal boss Unai Emery has reportedly made Maguire his No.1 transfer target as he prepares to strengthen his shaky back four in the summer.

Hardball for Bailly

Another defender said to be on Arsenal’s radar is Eric Bailly, although Manchester United are adamant he won’t be sold for a penny under £30m, The Sun reports.

The 25-year-old Ivorian is being eyed up by the Gunners, with Emery said to be a “fan” from his time coaching Sevilla, when Bailly was playing for Villarreal in La Liga.

United are said to want to recoup the £30m they paid to bring the centre-back to Old Trafford in 2016, while Emery sees Bailly as a good long-term replacement for veteran Laurent Koscielny, who is about to enter the final year of his contract.

Malcom miss

Arsenal have missed out to Tottenham in the race to sign Brazilian ace Malcom, according to the Daily Express.

Described by the paper as a “Barcelona misfit”, the frontman has reportedly made it clear to the Camp Nou board that “he would rather head to Spurs than their north London rivals”.

If the move does come off, Malcom will be Tottenham’s first major signing since Lucas Moura in January 2018.

New deals for star duo

But there is better news for Gooners, with the Daily Mail reporting that Arsenal are “moving to secure the long-term future” of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The pair have propelled Arsenal into the final of the Uefa Europa League, and such is their importance to Unai Emery that he has persuaded the board to loosen the purse strings.

As a result, Aubameyang’s current modest wage of £190,000 a week will be bumped up to £250,000 a week, in return for extending his contract beyond 2021, says the newspaper, which adds that a similar wage would be offered to the 27-year-old Lacazette in order to secure his loyalty.

On Sunday, Aubameyang scored two goals against Burnley to earn a share of the Premier League’s Golden Boot award with Liverpool stars Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.