Heading into a new week, and the return of Premier League football, Jonathan Kaney has a look at some of the best pieces of transfer gossip from the weekend.
Ozil to get new Arsenal deal (Mirror)
The Mirror is reporting that Arsenal are ready to offer Mesut Ozil a new deal as a reward for his sublime form and to ward off interest from any potential suitors.
After a superb season that’s seen him become the first player in Premier League history to get assists in six consecutive games and the first player to get 10 assists in his first 11 appearances in a Premier League season, the club want to keep him at the Emirates until at least 2019.
After a slow start, the German is finally reaching the level we all know he can, and it is definitely time for the Gunners to get him tied down for the next few years.
Arsenal eye Granit Xhaka (Metro)
The Metro and various other sections of the media are reporting that Arsene Wenger has identified Swiss international and Borussia Monchengladbach star Granit Xhaka as the key to our central midfield problem.
The 23-year-old is a product of the FC Basel youth academy, and over his years with Gladbach has become one of the most respected players in the Bundesliga.
Xhaka is a tenacious box to box midfield enforcer and an excellent passer of the ball. He would provide competition for Coquelin or be able to play alongside him, which is exactly the kind of player we need in January.
He would be available for around £20m and would be a great signal of intent from Arsene Wenger. I would like to see this one happen, particularly after missing out on other targets last season and the likes of Arteta, Flamini and Rosicky getting on.
Forward target to cost £35m (Talksport)
Talk Sport is reporting that Marseille President Vincent Labrune has slapped a £35m price tag on Arsenal target Michy Batshuayi
The 22-year-old Belgian striker is one of the hottest prospects in European football and has been heavily linked with a January move to the Gunners.
Labrune told French paper La Derniere Heure: “There is not a single top 15 world club that is not interested in Batshuayi…He is one of the most wanted players on the market. There were a lot of offers for him this summer, but he did not want to leave…He is proving himself on the pitch. And if clubs want him then they are going to have to pay up. Around €50m!”
As a complete forward – who with 8 goals in 13 games has shown a predatory instinct in front of goal that we desperately need – the Belgian would be a superb signing for us.
£35m would be a reasonable price in this market for a player of his potential and quality and with the likes of Chelsea, Man United and Spurs reported to be chasing him too, lets hope we can sign him first.
Real Madrid’s Russian star eyed by Arsenal (Metro)
The Metro reports that Arsenal are ready to make a move for Russian Real Madrid winger Denis Cheryshev. With an injury crisis at the Emirates, signing a wide man is a priority for Arsene Wenger as he looks to bolster his squad to carry on with a title push.
We’ve been linked with a host of Real players including Isco, Karim Benzema and Jese, however according to Fichajes, the Gunners are ready to test Madrid’s resolve to keep Russian winger Cheryshev by offering him first team football.
The 24-year-old reportedly attracted the interest of several clubs during the summer after an impressive loan at Villarreal in 2014-15, but stayed in Madrid to fight for his place. He’s found games difficult to come by this term though and has an apparently frosty relationship with Rafael Benitez.
We could certainly use a player of his talent and with forward options in abundance at Madrid, there is a good chance we could get him for a reasonable price.