Euro Paper Talk: Arsenal set to succeed with €40m bid for attack-minded Xhaka upgrade; Man Utd initiate midfielder contact

Arsenal could be preparing an offer for a more attack-minded replacement for Granit Xhaka, while the state of play with Man Utd’s pursuit of Adrien Rabiot has been revealed in Monday’s Euro transfer gossip.

CALHANOGLU CONSIDERED BY ARSENAL

Arsenal are considering making a bid for Inter attacking midfielder, Hakan Calhanoglu.

That’s according to Inter Live, which has suggested that an offer in the region of €35m-€40m (£30.4m-£34.7m) could be in the pipeline from Arsenal as they look to reinforce their midfield in the event of Granit Xhaka leaving.

Xhaka has only one year remaining on his contract at Arsenal, who look likely to sell him to Bayer Leverkusen this summer. In turn, they will need to source a replacement in midfield.

Calhanoglu is accustomed to playing in a more advanced midfield role than Xhaka, but has adapted his game this season to become more comfortable in a defensive midfield position.

Therefore, the 29-year-old appears to be under serious consideration at the Emirates Stadium, where he would earn his first taste of Premier League football.

According to the report, Arsenal might be readying a bid of up to €40m, which Inter would find hard to turn down because of their current financial state.

They originally snapped up Calhanoglu on a free transfer from their cross-city rivals, AC Milan. Therefore, they can generate a substantial capital gain by selling him to someone like Arsenal – who, the report hints, might also have doubts about the reliability of Jorginho after taking the Italy international from Chelsea in January.

However, Inter could also consider renewing Calhanoglu’s contract beyond its current expiry date of June 2024. A new deal would ideally last until 2027, enabling the Turkey international to earn  €6m per season (around £100,000 per week).

But if Arsenal firm up their interest in the former Bayer Leverkusen star, Inter could have to make the sacrifice of offloading him.

This season, Calhanoglu has played 47 times in all competitions, scoring four goals and providing eight assists.

Arsenal’s top target in midfield remains West Ham captain, Declan Rice. But they might have to make multiple investments in the department, which would make Calhanoglu one to keep in mind.

MAN UTD IN CONTACT FOR RABIOT

Man Utd have begun making contact for Adrien Rabiot as the midfielder prepares to leave Juventus on a free transfer. (Goal Italia)

Harry Kane has already decided to leave Tottenham and is favoured by Real Madrid. (AS)

The deal for Liverpool to sign Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton will cost between €60m and €80m. (Ole)

Newcastle have sent scouts to watch Eintracht Frankfurt striker, Randal Kolo Muani. (Tuttomercatoweb)

Mauricio Pochettino has given the green light for Chelsea to sign Sporting midfielder, Manuel Ugarte. (Fabrizio Romano)

Gianluca Scamacca wants to leave West Ham after one season, with the striker eyeing a return to Serie A with Juventus. (Calciomercato)

Romelu Lukaku only wants to stay at Inter after his loan spell from Chelsea, which could be renewed. (Corriere Dello Sport)

Meanwhile, Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun has become a candidate to replace Joaquin Correa at Inter, but the price tag is €40m. (Gazzetta Dello Sport)

CHELSEA FLOP LINKED WITH RETURN TO FORMER CLUB

Napoli could re-sign Kalidou Koulibaly on loan from Chelsea to replace Man Utd target, Kim Min-jae. (Il Mattino)

Brentford have activated a €13m clause to sign Freiburg goalkeeper, Mark Flekken. (Fabrizio Romano)

Jean-Philippe Mateta wants to leave Crystal Palace this summer. (L’Equipe)

Leeds and Bournemouth are both in negotiations for Fenerbahce defender, Bright Osayi-Samuel. (A Spor)

Paris Saint-Germain would consider activating the €50m release clause of Barcelona winger, Ousmane Dembele. (L’Equipe)

Arthur Melo, Denis Zakaria, Weston McKennie and possibly Dejan Kulusevski are returning to Juventus after loan spells at Liverpool, Chelsea, Leeds and Tottenham respectively. (Calciomercato)

Ronny Deila wants to take Steven Alzate to Club Brugge after having him on loan at Standard Liege from Brighton. (Sacha Tavolieri)

Inter, AC Milan and Juventus are all interested in signing Sergej Milinkovic-Savic from Lazio for €35m. (Sport Mediaset)

MBAPPE MOVING FOR FREE IN 2024

Kylian Mbappe has confirmed he is staying at PSG next season, but he isn’t expected to extend his contract to 2025. (L’Equipe)

AC Milan are close to signing Daichi Kamada on a free transfer, with the attacking midfielder set to leave Eintracht Frankfurt. (Sky Sport Italia)

Union Berlin are set to sign Sergino Dest after the Barcelona right-back’s loan spell with AC Milan. (Calciomercato)

Rumours of Thomas Tuchel leaving Bayern Munich have been downplayed, since the former Chelsea boss definitely wants to stay. (Sky Sports Germany)

After Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed Luciano Spalletti is leaving Napoli, the Serie A champions want Luis Enrique to replace him as manager. (Calciomercato)

Atalanta are aware that Gian Piero Gasperini could leave as head coach, so are looking for replacements. (Tuttosport)

Borussia Dortmund are preparing an official announcement that they have signed Borussia Monchengladbach left-back, Ramy Bensebaini. (Fabrizio Romano)