Euro Paper Talk: Arsenal ready to pounce for £43m midfield upgrade after contacting representatives to leave Man Utd forgotten; Liverpool capable of stunning double deal

Arsenal are stepping up their pursuit of a dominant midfielder whose value could cut in half next summer, while Liverpool are classed as serious contenders for two coveted World Cup stars – all in Thursday’s Euro transfer gossip.

MILINKOVIC-SAVIC BECOMES CONCRETE ARSENAL TARGET

Arsenal have been in contact with the entourage of Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and could be preparing an offer for the summer transfer window.

Milinkovic-Savic has established himself as one of the most dominant midfielders in Serie A since he joined Lazio in 2015 from Genk. He has made more than 300 appearances for the Rome-based club, with whom he has won three trophies.

For years, the Serbia international has been linked with a move to a bigger club. Manchester United are long-term admirers, for example.

However, Arsenal have recently established themselves as another contender to bring Milinkovic-Savic to the Premier League.

Currently top of the Premier League table, Arsenal are looking for reinforcements who can help consolidate their status among the top-flight’s elite.

Midfield is one area they are thinking about, since they might require stronger competition for Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey.

With that in mind, their plans are progressing for Milinkovic-Savic. According to a report by Matteo Moretto in the Spanish media, Arsenal have recently been in touch with those who represent the 27-year-old.

In turn, they are planning to make an offer to Lazio. However, it is likely they will be waiting until the summer, rather than bidding in January, in this case.

Their strategy might make sense, since Milinkovic-Savic could cost half as much by then. His current valuation is between €80million (£68.8million) and €100million (£86million).

However, by the summer, he will only have one year left on his contract. Furthermore, he does not want to sign an extension with Lazio. Consequently, they may have to listen to offers towards the region of €40million (£34.4million) to €50million (£43million).

Milinkovic-Savic is in his prime and still will be by then. Therefore, it looks like a very appealing deal for Arsenal.

Chelsea also in contention for Milinkovic-Savic

However, they face competition from elsewhere in the Premier League – and the other interested party isn’t actually Man Utd.

Instead, the report has revealed Chelsea are also in contention to take Milinkovic-Savic to London. The Blues also want to increase their options in midfield and Milinkovic-Savic is on their radar.

Chelsea have a few other options in mind too, mainly Jude Bellingham, but know some of their targets will be difficult to acquire. Therefore, Milinkovic-Savic might be one of their most realistic targets.

In addition, Arsenal are battling Juventus for Milinkovic-Savic. And according to Moretto, staying in Serie A by moving up north might be the player’s preferred option.

His brother Vanja is already based in Turin, since he plays for Torino as a goalkeeper. What’s more, Sergej has only recently become a father, so staying in Italy might make sense on a personal level.

It remains to be seen whether or not Juventus will grant him his wish, though. As things stand, they do not want to bid too highly for him.

Therefore, Arsenal might have a better chance of winning the race for Milinkovic-Savic. He would not only complement what they already have, but he might be an upgrade.

If Arsenal are at least back in the Champions League by this stage, they would be significantly strengthening their squad in preparation with the addition of someone of Sergej’s calibre.

LIVERPOOL LINKED WITH VALUABLE MIDFIELD DUO

Liverpool can seriously compete for Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez and Borussia Dortmund counterpart Jude Bellingham. (Mundo Deportivo)

Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal are all considering making bids for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in January. (Corriere Dello Sport)

Tottenham are showing the most interest in Sofyan Amrabat and are ready to talk to Fiorentina, who want €50million or more. (La Repubblica)

Manchester United have initiated talks with the representatives of Inter Milan wing-back Denzel Dumfries. (Corriere Dello Sport)

Man Utd made a bid for Joao Felix in the summer that would actually surpass Atletico Madrid’s asking price now. (AS)

Paris Saint-Germain are not currently in contention to sign Portuguese forward Felix. (Le10 Sport)

Memphis Depay has offers on the table, with Man Utd and Tottenham among his admirers. (Sport)

Tottenham are scouting Sporting wing-back Pedro Porro, but Man City can buy him back for €20million. (Fabrizio Romano)

Bayern Munich are watching out for a chance to sign Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona. (Sport)

Meanwhile, Barcelona are keeping tabs on Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante. (Mundo Deportivo)

REAL MADRID JOIN CODY GAKPO RACE

Real Madrid have joined the race for Man Utd target and PSV forward Cody Gakpo. (AS)

In addition, the La Liga champions are ready to activate their option to buy on-loan full-back Vinicius Tobias from Shakhtar Donetsk for €10million. (Marca)

Brentford are battling Roma for the €20million signing of another Lecce midfielder Morten Hjulmand. (Calciomercato)

Chelsea have reached a full agreement to sign promising Molde striker David Datro Fofana. (Fabrizio Romano)

Aston Villa are showing an interest in Genk goalscorer Paul Onuachu. (Voetbalkrant)

Atletico Mineiro have ruled out a move for unfavoured Everton defender Yerry Mina. (Fala Galo)

Eden Hazard will be allowed to leave Real Madrid if an offer arrives in January. (Marca)

Atalanta have triggered an option to extend the contract of Tottenham target Ruslan Malinovskyi until 2024. (Nicolo Schira)

Tiemoue Bakayoko’s agent has confessed he is sad for how his client’s loan spell at AC Milan from Chelsea is going and they will explore solutions. (Tuttomercatoweb)

On-loan Monaco goalkeeper Alexander Nubel only wants to return to Bayern Munich if given guarantees over his playing time after an injury to Manuel Neuer. (Get French Football News)

Meanwhile, Bayern are showing an interest in Sevilla shot-stopper Bono after he reached the World Cup semi-finals with Morocco. (AS)