Arsenal have stepped up their chase in signing the highly regarded 17-year-old Legia Warsaw midfielder, Krystian Bielik, as the club’s chief transfer negotiator, Dick Law, set to arrive in Poland to secure his signature.
Arsene Wenger has earlier hinted that he could sign a midfielder in January, and although, a marquee name is expected to arrive, the Frenchman, doesn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to sign the highly rated youngster, who is also a transfer target of German outfit Hamburg.
Arsenal have already seen one offer for the player turned down, per The Times journalist Rory Smith, and therefore the Gunners will have to improve their bid in order to tempt the Polish champions to come into a negotiation.
Reliably informed Dick Law will be in Warsaw tomorrow to try and finalise a deal to sign Krystian Bielik. Legia want £2.5m upfront. #afc
— Rory Smith (@RorySmithTimes) January 12, 2015
It won’t be easy for Arsenal, as Hamburg coach, Josef Zinnabauer, is confident that the player will join the German club, rejecting the advances of Arsenal, via Marcus Christenson of The Guardian.
“Of course Arsenal are also interested but I don’t think he is bluffing [about being interested in joining Hamburg]. Otherwise he didn’t need to come to Hamburg,”Zinnbauer told Kicker, via Guardian. “He is a really good boy who has very good build-up play. He would fit in perfectly with our philosophy.”
The Hamburg sporting director, Peter Knäbel, confirmed that Bielik had visited the club but added: “There is some good competition out there for him.”
Arsenal have offered a deal worth £1.7m, half payable upfront and half dependent on Bielik meeting a number of performance related clauses, and it was rejected. Legia are demanding a fee in the region of £2.5m upfront or £2m with a further £750,000 in bonuses.
Rory claims that Wenger is a big admirer of the youngster’s talent and has been tracking him for sometime now. The youngster, who broke into the first team this season, has the required talent to fit into first team in near future.
While Bielik is the one to watch out future, Arsenal are keen to find immediate solutions, big name players, who can quickly adapt to the new system.
Arsenal were one of those clubs heavily linked with a move for William Carvalho in the summer, and while they missed out then, it seems like, the Gunners are going to test Sporting’s resolve again, with a better offer.
The North London giants are preparing a £25m offer for the Portugal international, as Wenger is keen to land the 22-year-old, who is also a reported target of Chelsea and Manchester United, per The Independent.
Carvalho is a versatile central midfielder who can also play as a cover in the centre-back when needed.
Arsenal have lack of options in the holding midfield areas, due to injuries to several key players and therefore a move for Carvalho makes lot of sense.
Young Francis Coquelin has been deployed in the role in recent matches, but Carvalho, with his international experience under his belt provides a better option.
William Carvalho: “My dream is to play in England. I know some clubs are interested but my agent Jorge is looking after it & I am relaxed.”
— Viktor Fagerström (@ViktorFagerLFC) January 12, 2015
Arsenal can also make a move for Newcastle United midfield Moussa Sissoko who openly stated his love for the Gunners, issuing a come-and-get-me -plea to Wenger.
Check: Five Reasons why Sissoko would be perfect for Arsenal
One thing is certain here that Arsenal will try to sign a defensive/central midfielder in the January transfer window, but the question is, will Wenger go for a short term solution or pay a good sum to land a marquee name at the Emirates.
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