Arsenal gossip round-up: Gunners leading the race for Xhaka, while Keita scouted

Arsenal may have had a quiet 2015 summer transfer window, bringing in just Petr Cech alone, but speculation is rife that Arsene Wenger will do some serious business this time round.

The Gunners have failed to build on their strong start to the campaign and their title hopes have been left hanging by a thread, as Leicester City continue to stun those around them with Tottenham Hotspur also pouncing.

And it seems Wenger is now prepared to act on his side’s shortcomings this campaign by moving in for a number of players over the summer. With that in mind, her’s a round-up of everything surrounding the club this Wednesday morning.

Arsenal are leading the race to sign Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Granit Xhaka. The 23-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League and while Liverpool have also been keeping strong tabs on him, it appears that the Gunners are favourites to sign the Switzerland international ahead of their rivals. Xhaka has won 43/110 attempted tackles in the Bundesliga this season and both Napoli and Inter Milan are also interested.

Arsenal are keeping a close watch on Red Bull Salzburg midfielder Naby Keita. There are reports indicating that Arsenal scouts watched him in action against Mattersburg ahead of the international break recently and Wenger is keeping one eye on the no.8 midfielder ahead of the summer. Keita won 15/32 attempted tackles in the Europa League last season and could add a bit of grit to the Gunners’ midfield.

Juventus are ready to offer Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani a three-year contract worth £16 million in order to beat off interest from Arsenal. The 29-year-old has been heavily tipped to leave France for England in the summer and while Arsene Wenger’s side have been keeping tabs, it appears the Bianconeri will offer Cavani big money to move to Turin. Cavani upholds a 59% shot accuracy in Ligue 1 this season. 

England boss Roy Hodgson has revealed he wanted to call up Arsenal‘s Kieran Gibbs as a replacement for Ryan Bertrand last week, but Arsene Wenger had already sanctioned him to go on holiday. Bertrand pulled out last week with an injury, which left Danny Rose as the only fit first-team England left-back for the games against Germany and the Netherlands. Gibbs has won 9/19 tackles in the Premier League this season and would have answered Hodgson’s call if he was available.

Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez and are ready to swoop if the Chilean gives any indication that he wants to leave this summer. The Gunners will do everything in their power to keep the former Barcelona winger at the Emirates but PSG are monitoring his situation, with the likes of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid also keeping tabs.



Called from newsnow.co.uk