Arsenal have failed in an attempt to prise David Luiz away from London rivals Chelsea.
According to Metro, the Blues knocked back a £17.6m offer from the Gunners for the Brazilian defender, even though the 31-year-old was only a bit-part player at Stamford Bridge last season.
Loss of form and then injury reduced the South American to a peripheral figure, fuelling rumours that he could leave for Italy this summer.
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Despite all that, however, the centre-back is wanted by new Arsenal boss Unai Emery. With his side’s first bid kicked into the long grass by the Blues, the Gunners “are now considering whether to return with an improved bid as they look to secure defensive signings”, says Metro, citing French media reports.
Luiz’s future may hinge on that of Antonio Conte, with the Brazilian likely to stay at the club if, as expected, the Italian manager parts company with Chelsea in the coming weeks.
Decision time for Soyuncu
Caglar Soyuncu will “make a decision on his future after Ramadan ends”, claims the Daily Express, taking Turkish media as their source.
The Gunners have been on the tail of the 22-year-old Freiburg defender for several weeks, and Soyuncu is primed to make his decision any day now.
Manchester United are among several other clubs also linked with the Turkish blocker, but new Arsenal boss Emery has asked head of football recruitment Sven Mislintat to pull out all the stops to land Soyuncu.
“There are four Premier League sides who’ve made a move for Soyuncu, that we are in talks with,” revealed the player’s agent, Mustafa Dogru.
Porto wonderkid Queiros is a target
Arsenal and Liverpool are in a “race to sign Porto wonderkid Diogo Queiros”, says talkSPORT.
The 19-year-old defender is highly regarded at Porto and although he has yet to make his senior debut, scouts from the Gunners and Liverpool have been tracking his progress in the club’s B team.
Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha claims that the Premier League pair are ready to “firm up their interest with solid offers”, but they’ll need to be in region of £22m, which is what Porto want to release Queiros from a contract that expires in 2021.
Seri says no
Arsenal have been dealt what the Daily Mirror describes as “a blow” in their pursuit of Nice midfielder Jean-Michael Seri, with the newspaper reporting that he would rather move to Serie A side Napoli.
The Ivory Coast star has been on the Gunners’ radar for a while, but his agent Franklin Mala has dashed hopes that he might move to north London.
“We hope to have positive news in the next few hours in Naples,” Mala told Italian media. “Napoli are in pole position.”
