Euro Paper Talk: Arsenal make striker bid; Man Utd watch Barca quartet
It’s all systems go for Arsenal and a Real Madrid striker and Man Utd and Man City are watching a quartet of Barcelona players at the U-17 World Cup, according to Wednesday’s European papers.
BENZEMA TO ARSENAL
It’s all systems go with regard to Karim Benzema joining Arsenal, if tonight’s reports are to be believed.
Real Madrid’s Zinedine Zidane and Florentino Perez want to sell the France striker, Arsenal have made a bid, and the 29-year-old wants to sign, claim Don Balon.
What could possibly go wrong?
The Spanish outlet suggest Real want to offload Benzema to make way for new signings and the Gunners have already lodged a bid ahead of a January move.
Benzema has been long since linked with a move to Arsenal, and if Arsene Wenger loses Alexis Sanchez in January he may well be on the lookout for another forward.
BARCELONA PLOT SWOOP FOR TOTTENHAM DUO AFTER WATCHING DUO
Barcelona are considering a moves for Tottenham duo Christian Eriksen and Davinson Sanchez after sending scouts to watch them during Tottenham’s 1-1 draw at Real Madrid.
According to reports in Sport, Barca’s sporting director Robert Fernandez was present at the Bernabeu for the Champions League clash and he used the opportunity to run the rule over Eriksen and Sanchez.
Eriksen, 25, has been lined up by the Catalan giants as a possible alternative to Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho.
Sanchez, meanwhile, is a long-term target for the club, having been linked heavily with Barca before he left Ajax to join Spurs in a £42million deal earlier this year.
The duo are rated at £80million and £60million respectively, so any Barcelona swoop – which would not be welcomed by Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy – would likely set them back around £140million.
Sport adds that Barca have been tracking Dele Alli too, although Fernandez was unable to watch the England international in action in the Spanish capital as he missed the match through suspension.
AND THE REST
Manchester United are scouting Barcelona youngsters taking part at the FIFA U17 World Cup with Spain. Abel Ruiz, Juan Miranda, Sergio Gomez and Mateu Morey are all being watched by United, Manchester City and Bayern Munich.
AC Milan have moved to secure Man Utd and Chelsea target Pietro Pellgri, with the player’s agent Giuseppe Riso confirming talks (Calciomercato.com)
Manchester United are poised to swoop for Arsenal star Mesut Ozil after learning he will be made available for a cut-price fee of around just £26million in January (Calciomercato)
Santos midfielder Lucas Lima, who has previously been linked with Manchester United, is emerging as a major transfer target for AC Milan (Sky Italia)
Inter Milan are in talks with Mauro Icardi over a new deal which would see his buyout clause extended from €110m to €150million (Calciomercato)
One of Liverpool’s top targets, Inaki Williams, is poised to sign a new deal with Athletic Bilbao, which will see his buy-out clause significantly raised (Mundo Deportivo)
Racing de Avellaneda have turned down Atletico Madrid’s €11.5m offer for Argentina Under-20 international striker Lautaro Martinez (AS)