Monday 20 June 2016

Arsenal To Lose Bundesliga Superstar To EPL rival - Report

According to Mino Raiola, Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan's agent, the Armenian playmaker wants to go to Manchester United.

As reported by the Daily Star, the representative has recently stated his client could leave Germany, despite BVB having asserted that Mkhitaryan is going nowhere. Even with just one year remaining on his contract with the German outfit, the playmaker's agent thinks they’ll change their stance and let him go.

“He wants to go to Manchester United and we are still trying to resolve the situation,” said Raiola.

Also, according to the Daily Mirror, the Red Devils have already had a bid of £19 million rejected for the Armenia international, who has also been linked with Arsenal and Chelsea.

During the Bundesliga 2015-16 season, Mkhitaryan emerged as one of the most effective attacking players in the league. In the view of this, BVB selling the playmaker for £19m is an amount that’s not a true reflection of the player’s quality.

The Independent have also reported that the Gunners, along with United are keen on bringing him to the Premier League.

Here is a look at why the Man United boss Jose Mourinho would be keen to have the German playmaker to be in his squad next season:


It’s not been all been plain sailing for Armenian at the Westfalenstadion. In his three seasons so far, he was inconsistent in the first, poor in the second and eventually, under the strong guidance of manager Thomas Tuchel, he excelled in the third.

Despite the fact that Dortmund finished the season unrewarded in terms of silverware, there were times when they played some of the most thrilling football in Europe.

The Armenian international, with his intelligence on the ball, intuitive movement and willingness to commit opposition defenders, was the fulcrum for their finest creative play.

In terms of making and scoring goals, the former Shakhtar Donetsk man was undeniably outstanding. IB Times’ provided data to show why former Shakhtar Donetsk had potentially is one of the signings of the summer:
However, despite the Armenian and his agent being willing to make the switch to Old Trafford to work under Jose Mourinho, Dortmund have previously shown in the past they’re not a club that’ll be dictated to in transfer market.

The Bundesliga outfit has been in scenarios previously where players have haad a solitary year left on their contract. For example, star striker Robert Lewandowski memorably let his deal run down before joining Bayern Munich on a free transfer. Therefore, despite Mkhitaryan’s eyes wandering towards Manchester, if Tuchel thinks there is merit in keeping him around for another season, the club will be likely to stand firm.

They have sold off some key men this summer already and, as noted by Sport journalist, Liam Canning, as well as the speculation over the Armenian international, other players are also being linked with moves:
The burning pace of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and the direct wide play of Marco Reus have been hallmarks of this Dortmund side. Nevertheless, Mkhitaryan emerged as the most important player in the team last season. It’s why Dortmund are most likely taking such a strong line on his situation, even if it means keeping him for one more year and missing out on a substantial fee.

Mkhitaryan moving to Mourinho’s United would represent a huge coup for them. He meshes his attacking qualities with a willingness to work hard off the ball, traits the Portuguese always demands from his forward players

If Manchester United can get the Dortmund man on board, it would energize their attacking play although, if their history is anything to go by, the Bundesliga side will be tough negotiators.

Leicester Chief Gives Update On Jamie Vardy

The Gunners will soon be receiving an update on whether the Foxes ace Jamie Vardy will be moving to the Emirates Stadium this summer or not.

The news is according to the Foxes chief Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, who has make it known publicly he is confident that the England forward will stay with the Premier League champions.

According to the Daily Mail, he said, “You will see the news very soon,”

“But I think he will stay. I think, so let’s see. We need to build the team. We keep continuing to believe that we can do something special in the Premier League and the [UEFA] Champions League."

Recently, a report from Dean Jones of Bleacher Reports said that the striker is edging towards staying with his current employers.

As noted in the piece, the Gunners triggered the 29-year-old's release clause of £20 million recently and they also offered him a lucrative contract worth in surplus of £100,000 a week to tempt the England frontman into considering moving to the Emirates.

Reportedly, Vardy will make his final decision as to whether he will be moving the Emirates after the conclusion of the 2016 UEFA European Championships.

The 29-year-old England forward made an amazing contribution as a second-half substitute when he scored the equalizing goal for England against Wales on Thursday; his goal triggered a memorable comeback, with the Three Lions running out 2-1 winners.

As noted by Squawka Football, following his 24 Premier League goals in 2015-16, the Foxes frontman has showed his class at the international stage too:
Moving to the Emirates Stadium this summer could prove to be a difficult challenge for the ace, who may not be guaranteed a starting place. 

However, if he choses to stay at Leicester and leads them into the Champions League next season, it would be thrilling for the striker and would be seen as a show of loyalty to the club that gave him a chance to shine at the elite level.

On the other hand, if he turns down a move to Arsenal, a chance of him featuring for any other major English club may not come around again.

From my perspective, even if the Gunners actually succeed in bringing the ace to the Emirates, it would be intriguing to see just what team manager Arsene Wenger would select as a result.

In the end, as shown in the Leicester City’s dramatic play that brought them the English Premier League League title, in order to get the best out of the Vardy, you need to be willing to get the ball supplied to him quickly. In order words, the Gunners' present style of playing is often incompatible with Jamie Vardy.

Saturday 18 June 2016

Forget Vardy - Arsenal Lining Up Move For 53-Goal Hitman - Fans Will Love Him


The Gunners are still in the market for a new striker this summer, although Arsenal have already triggered Jamie Vardy's £20million release clause at Leicester earlier this month.

The 29-year-old England forward looks increasingly likely to remain with the Premier League champions, so Arsenal could turn their attention to Vardy's international team-mate Daniel Sturridge.

Will the signing of Daniel Sturridge to the Emirates club next season help him repeat his goal-scoring heroics? The Daily Express have reasons to believe this, as do the bookmakers, with Sky Bet putting in Arsenal as the 4-1 favourites to sign the 26-year-old frontman should he leave the Reds.

However, the bookmakers expect Sturridge to remain at Anfield next season, judging by their quoted odds of 1/3.

Paris Saint-German are also mooted as potential suitors for Sturridge but, according to The Week, the Gunners have given up on the signing of Jamie Vardy and the north Londoners are instead poised to make a move for the Liverpool ace Sturridge.

In addition, the Les Parisiens have been boosted by the announcement earlier this week that Edinson Cavani has signed a new deal. In other words, they’re no longer on the lookout for a new top goal-scorer.

That leaves the door open for the Gunners though, as The Guardian reports, they believe that the Reds are unlikely to sell Sturridge for anything under £50m.

The last time the Gunners tried to raid Anfield for a new recruit, they bid £40m and £1 for Luis Suarez in 2013, and the mooted move did not go down well with the Reds.

Meanwhile, according to a report in French paper Le Dauphine, Arsenal target Samuel Umtiti would prefer a move to the Camp Nou over a switch to the Gunners. The 22-year-old Lyon defender, who is on duty with France at the Euros, was recently linked with a summer exit and Arsenal and Chelsea have both scouted him this year.

However, the 22-year-old centre-back told Spanish newspaper Sport that, "Barca is a great club, and virtually every player would like to play there.” 

Meanwhile, returning to Sturridge and looking at his contribution for England versus Wales, the Liverpool striker came on at half-time to secure a vital 2-1 win with a last-minute goal, lifting the Three Lions to the top of Euro 2016's Group B.

Sturridge commented on his late strike, "It's a great feeling. Unbelievable. I am grateful to the gaffer for the opportunity and God for allowing me to score. It is a brilliant feeling.”

"It is only one more game in the group, so no-one wants to get too excited but the atmosphere is unbelievable and the togetherness between the two countries here is unbelievable."

"It is great to help the boys win the game, my brother and my cousin have travelled here to the game, and it is great for them to experience this."


Friday 17 June 2016

Deal Close: Arsenal set to sign impressive £27million attacker

According to the reports from the Sun, ithe Gunners are on the verge of paying the Bundesliga champions £27m for Mario Gotze, who has fallen out of favour at the team because of his alleged wage demands.

However, reports in Germany insist that the Bavarian club are keen to get him off their wage bill as they cannot justify his £110,000-a-week contract.

On top of that, they do not feel that he possesses full set of requirements to play as either a striker or a midfielder.

Looking at the same report according to The Sun, "the Gunners lining up an “astonishing” swoop for the midfielder, Mario Gotze of Bayern Munich."

As far as one can see and tell, the Gunners has been forced to move on with the signing of Gotze possibly from the blow incurred from the signing of Henrikh Mkhitaryan as it was earlier reported that he the Armenian has his heart set on a move to Manchester United.

Due to this, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has transferred his full attention across Germany to Munich with a brazen bid for Gotze, despite news in recent weeks that Liverpool have also been linked with the German World Cup winner.

However, the Arsenal boss is ready to pay the German superstar weekly wages of £110,000 and strongly believes in himself that Gotze has the skill set to operate either as striker or as a midfielder for the Emirates outfit.

The Frenchman would welcome the chance of working with such a talented player and would pair him with compatriot Mesut Ozil in the north Londoner’s attack.

Gotze scored the winning goal at the 2014 World Cup for Germany and he has won three consecutive Bundesliga titles with FC Bayern, The Gunners reported fee of £27m could prove good value, even though his contract with FCB is up next summer.

However, If Arsenal do make an offer for the German international, they are likely to face serious opposition from Liverpool, whose manager is Gotze's former mentor, Jurgen Klopp.

Klopp, the Reds boss, is expected to be handed a mammoth transfer fund for the refurbishment of an under-performing squad, and as Liverpool are not in any European competition next season, he may focus on signing a few quality additions as opposed to making comprehensive changes.

At any rate, one player who Wenger won’t be seeing at the Emirates next season is Uruguayan hitman Edinson Cavani as, according to reports from Talksport, he has ended talk of a move to Arsenal by signing a big-money contract extension with the Les Rouge-et-Bleu (The Red and Blue).

The Red Devils had also been mooted as a possible destination for the 29-year-old frontman but, according to Sky Italia, the exit of Zlatan Ibrahimovic has prompted Cavani to pen a new contract that will keep him in the French capital until 2020 and earn him a reported £6m-a-year.


Thursday 16 June 2016

Agent confirms £23m-rated Arsenal target could be signed by EPL rival

Mino Raiola, the agent of Dortmund ace Henrikh Mkhitaryan, has revealed his client wants to join Manchester United this summer, as the move would present a unique opportunity for the Armenian.

Mkhitaryan, 27, is in his last year contract with BVB and the Armenian would consider a move out of the Bundesliga should an opportunity present itself.

Hans-Joachim Watzke, the Dortmund director, has confirmed that 27-year-old winger has refused to extend his contract but the German outfits are unwilling to let him leave before next year and are ready to bear the financial burden for their failure to request a fee for the player. Mkhitaryan agent, Raiola, has other ideas and that has led to a war of words between the two.

As quoted by Sport1, Watzke told Bild: "We have been negotiating with Henrikh Mkhitaryan for four months for him to extend his contract with us.

"Now we know that it is not been extended, but it was never our idea that Mkhitaryan to allow him to leave us prematurely."

For the time being, Raiola is not happy that his client may be kept at Dortmund against his will and he has claimed that when the Armenian refused to sign an extension, he should have been allowed to leave.

Raiola added that Manchester United are a probable destination and the 27-year-old is more than willing to make the trip to Old Trafford amidst interest from Arsenal.

"Micki has for months maintained that he may leave the club this summer. Dortmund presented an official offer, which was rejected, but now the BVB bosses fear their own fans. 

Suddenly... they tell Micki, that he should go next season on a free transfer. This is very bad management," Raiola said.

"Manchester United is a unique opportunity, Micki wants to go there," he added.

The north London outfit have been heavily linked with a move for the former Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder but the 27-year-old Armenian agent who also represents Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba, who have both been linked with moves to England this summer, has revealed that Mkhitaryan wants to move to Old Trafford.

The updates will come as a massive blow for Arsenal, who were heavily linked with a move for the player this summer.

The 27-year-old had an outstanding season for the Bundesliga side, scoring 20-goals and providing 18 assists.



The Gunners have already signed Granit Xhaka from Borussia Monchengladbach but are still waiting on a deal for Jamie Vardy, who will reveal his decision to stay or leave Leicester City after the Euros.

Arsenal to celebrate an earlier St Totteringham's Day?

Following the release of the full fixture list for the new season on Wednesday, the Gunners will start their 2016-17 Premier League season with a home match against Liverpool on Saturday, August 13.

Thereafter, Arsenal will then travel to King Power Stadium to take on Premier League champions, Leicester City, before the team's trip to Watford at the end of the month.

On November 5 at the Emirates Stadium, the match against Tottenham will be the first Arsenal derby of the season with the return fixture at White Hart Lane on April 29.

Last term, Arsenal had their highest league finish in over a decade as they were second to Leicester City, but it was still a disappointing season for the north Londoners. The Gunners were some way off the Foxes' pace and once again, they failed to mount a genuine title challenge.

It has now been 12 seasons since the Gunners last won the Premier League and this coming 2016-17 could perhaps be manager Arsene Wenger's last chance to lift the famous EPL trophy again as his current deal expires in 2017.

A look at the Arsenal's full fixture list for the upcoming campaign provided by the club, as well as a closer look at the key clashes the Emirates outfit would face in the 2016-17 EPL season:
In the last campaign, the Gunners' first clash was with West Ham United, which got the season off to an awful start.



In the 2016-17 EPL, Arsenal will first face up to United at Old Trafford on Nov. 19, and Wenger will once again clash with his old rival Jose Mourinho.

The Gunners boss has an awful record against the former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan boss, prevailing just once against Mourinho in August 2015's Community Shield.

The pressure will be on the Frenchman to improve that record when Arsenal face Manchester United in November.

However, if the Gunners do prevail over United in this coming campaign, it could be a huge confidence boost for the Gunners manager and his side, as well as an opportunity for the Emirates to kick on and finally maintain a season-long title challenge.

Certainly, it will not be easy as the Old Trafford clash between Arsenal and United last season saw the hosts prevail 3-2, and Man United could well be a better outfit in 2016-17 after replacing the club former boss, Louis van Gaal, with Mourinho.

Meanwhile, in a wonderful turn of events for Arsenal fans, the Gunners still managed to finish above their north London rivals last term despite Tottenham being the side that maintained the better title challenge until a dreadful end to their campaign.

However, there was nothing to choose between the two sides in their pair of Premier League meetings last season as they returned two closely fought draws.

In the recent past, Arsenal finishing above Tottenham was something of a given. Only a collapse from Spurs last term, which included a final-day 5-1 drubbing to already relegated Newcastle United which allowed the north London club to leapfrog their bitter rivals.

Nonetheless, Arsenal fans will hope St Totteringham's Day will be celebrated earlier in the forthcoming season than it was in the previous campaign.

Wednesday 15 June 2016

Report: Blow for Arsenal and Manchester United as £25m target unsure of Leicester move

The most important news for Leicester, at the moment, may be that of whether Jamie Vardy will choose to reject a move to Arsenal, but rumours are also intensifying about the future of Riyad Mahrez.


According to the reports from the Telegraph, Leicester City are striving hard to keep the Algerian international who bagged the PFA Player of the year for 2015-2016, with the Foxes offering a new contract worth £100,000 a week for the 25-year-old winger.


Mahrez, 25, is the latest Leicester star to be offered vastly improved terms after the club's remarkable season, joining Jamie Vardy, N'Golo Kante and Kasper Schmeichel.


The 25-year-old winger played a huge part in Leicester's Premier League title success, scoring 17 goals, and the Foxes Thai owners have moved swiftly in a bid to avoid losing the Algeria international.


As predicted, there have been approaches for the 25-year-old Algerian coming from other clubs, including Arsenal, Paris St-Germain, Manchester United, and Barcelona, However, Leicester are anxious to keep hold of one of their star players, particularly as both N’Golo Kante and Jamie Vardy are also making transfer headlines.


After a move that cost Leicester just £400,000 from Le Havre two-and-a-half years ago, the Algerian international sparkled during his first season in England; he netted 17-goals and provided the team with 11 assists.


That brilliant form saw the Algerian named the PFA Player of the Year by his fellow players, and has inevitably led to speculation that his future may lie away from the King Power Stadium.


However, Leicester's offer is on the table and they remain hopeful that the 25-year-old will stay for at least another 12 months. With Champions League football to look forward to next season, it is highly possible that improved terms may convince Mahrez to remain in East Midlands.


Nevertheless, if Mahrez decides he wants to leave, considering the fact the Algerian has no clause in his contract such as the one in Vardy’s deal, the Foxes can hold potential suitors to ransom.


If Mahrez does decide to leave, however, it is understood Leicester will demand a figure of over £30million for a player who cost so little from Le Havre in January 2014.


Earlier this month, the north Londoners activated Vardy’s £21million clause while Kante could depart the King’s Power Stadium for a similar transfer fee.


Mahrez has revealed he will make a decision on his future later this summer, but the potential sales of either Vardy or Kante could be intrinsically linked.


He said, "Nothing is agreed, nothing is done. We will see. For the moment, I have not made a decision. We will see. It is possible that I stay, it is possible that I leave. The season went very well. We have won the league, which was very important. It is incredible. It was by far my best season in my career.”

"I am not putting pressure on myself (for next season). It will be a season about confirming (my ability).” Without pressure, I will have to work hard... Leicester is a family club. I would like to stay. I am very happy.”

Arsenal eye £31m striker - he wants Premier League switch

Arsenal are set to turn their interest to Paris Saint-German forward Edison Cavani if the Leicester star Jamie Vardy doesn’t join the Emirates outfit during the summer transfer window. According to TransferMarkt, the Uruguayan is currently valued at £31m.

The Daily Express claims that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is set to make the Uruguayan his number one striker target if Jamie Vardy decides against a move to the Emirates.

The report goes on to say that Cavani has rejected wages of up to £500,000 per week to move to the Chinese Super League, as he's ready to make the move to the Premier League instead.

Wenger is still waiting for the Foxes forward Vardy to make a decision on his future, but if the Premier League's revelation of last year stays with the Foxes, the Uruguay international would become the manager's top target.

When Cavani moved to the French capital from Napoli in 2013, the 29-year-old was one of Europe's hottest strikers until he was pushed into a wide role with PSG to accomodate Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was the club's main striker.

As Les Parisiens will be losing Ibrahimovic this summer, and the Uruguay international is expected to become the club's top striker. The  French club's youngster, Jean-Kevin Augustin, has a lot of talent, but he's still raw and won't be asked to lead one of Europe's top outfits.

With few options available on the transfer market, PSG would rather not part with Cavani at this time.

Here's a look at some of Uruguay international top moments for Paris Saint-German:


“In my opinion, Cavani is an expensive veteran who hardly fits in with what the Gunners generally look for in a player. It's easy to see why Wenger would prefer Vardy at this time, as the England international is a proven performer in the Premier League and won't be nearly as expensive."

According to Bleacher Report UK, Gunners legend Thierry Henry was not impressed with the striker's decision to let Arsenal wait for now.
From Uruguay to Albania, Arsenal are "weighing up a £15m to hijack Barcelona and Manchester United in ace chase" for Elseid Hysaj.

The 22-year-old Napoli right-back played in his country's opening Euro 2016 clash against Switzerland on Saturday and is described by the Star as one of Europe's "brightest young defensive talents". 

Wenger is in France running the rule over Hysaj and "is poised to confirm his interest with a concrete offer".

The Gunners manager is particularly drawn to Hysaj's versatility because he is comfortable at both left and right-back and he's also aware that the player has attracted interest from Chelsea and Manchester United.

However, the Frenchman is confident the lure of Champions League football will prove enough of a draw for Hysaj.

Previously we reported that that sources in Germany are reporting that Wenger is hunting Bayern Munich's Brazil defender Rafael Alcantara do Nascimento, commonly known as Rafinha.

The 30-year-old has been scouted by Arsenal and the South American could soon be seen at the Emirates.

Monday 13 June 2016

Arsenal set to make shocking £15m bid to hijack Barcelona and Manchester United in ace chase

According to reports from the Mirror, Arsenal are lining-up a move for Napoli full-back Elseid Hysaj, as the Emirates outfit boss Arsene Wenger is conscious that Hector Bellerin could soon be lured home by the La Liga champions.

Bellerin, 21, was a part of Barcelona’s youth system before moving to north London and could be tempted to return to the Catalan giants, with Wenger keen to find a replacement in his efforts to challenge for the league title next season.

The Daily Star reports that the Frenchman is set to make an offer of around €18 million for the full-back, Elseid Hysaj.

The 22-year-old Albanian international has been in superb form this season as the Partenopei finished second in Serie A, and impressed during his country’s narrow defeat to Switzerland at the opening of the UEFA EURO 2016, on Saturday afternoon.

The reports from the Daily Star goes on to say that, the north Londoners have been impressed by the Albania international over the past 12 months as in that period, the 22-year-old managed 37 Serie A appearances for the Partenopei, helping the Italian club side to finish second in the table after a transitory title challenge to winners Juventus. Elseid Hysaj, 22, is one of Europe’s brightest young defensive talents.

However, Arsenal face competition for the 22-year-old Albanian international from Barcelona, Chelsea, and Manchester United – with a lack of Champions League football making a move difficult for the latter two. Subsequently. Hysaj could opt in joining the Emirates outfit.

In June 2015, the Albanian international's move to Napoli was completed and he signed a five-year contract for a reported fee of €5 million, becoming the second most expensive move for the Partenopei.

On 21 May 2016, the Albanian full-back was named in Albania's preliminary 27-man squad for UEFA EURO 2016 and in Albania's final 23-man UEFA Euro squad on 31 May. He captained his side for the first time during the Euro 2016 warm-up match against Qatar, which ended in a 3–1 win, becoming the youngest ever captain.

As luck would have it, the Catalan giants Barcelona are reportedly keeping a close watch on Hysaj as they look to replace Daniel Alves, who left for Juventus earlier in the month.

“Truthfully, on my opinion, I believe Wenger would love to have both the Albanian and Bellerin at the Emirates next season.”

Should the deal for Hysai be unsuccessful, the 22-year-old, who cost Napoli £5m from Empoli in June 2015, is not the only right-back on the radar. 

According to sources close to the German title winners, Bayern Munich’s defender Rafinha, 30, is another potential target for Wenger.