Arsenal set to beat Manchester United to signing of Portuguese ace
Published:
Arsenal could be closing in on their first major transfer of the summer, with reports in Portugal claiming that the Gunners could complete a deal for William Carvalho in the coming weeks.
The 23-year-old has been the subject of intense transfer speculation for much of the season, with Manchester United also thought to be among those keen on a deal for the Sporting Lisbon star.
A defensive midfielder by trade, Carvalho has been capped 12 times by Portugal to date and was one of the few players to emerge from their disastrous World Cup campaign with his reputation enhanced.
Arsenal have been consistently linked with the youngster for some time, with negotiations previously stalling.
However that situation looks to have changed with The Telegraph citing a report from O Jogo which claims that discussions over a deal are ongoing with an agreement looking likely.
A price tag of £21.5m has been agreed, with Carvalho heading to the Emirates this summer.
Sporting had previously been holding out for a fee of £30m, given the clamour to sign him among Europe’s top clubs.
But it would appear that the opportunity to play at Arsenal under Arsene Wenger was too good to resist for the 23-year-old.
Arsenal face Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend and while a late title challenge from the Gunners looks unlikely, the north London club are in excellent form.
The Gunners have won their last eight Premier League games in a row and will be on a high going into Sunday’s game after securing a place in the FA Cup final for the second year running.
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