Gossip: Arsenal target £120m trio, Wanyama to Liverpool

Matt Stead

WERNER BROS
The chances are that you have heard of Timo Werner. He is a long-term target of Liverpool’s, has a Manchester United “dream” and found crowds in Turkey a little too loud to handle.

It turns out that Arsenal have heard of him too. According to The Sun, the Gunners have ‘joined the race’ for the RB Leipzig striker.

The 21-year-old is reported to have rejected a new deal with the Bundesliga club, and with just two years remaining on his deal come this summer, the vultures are starting to circle. And Leipzig will inform them that Werner is valued at £50million.

With 16 goals and four assists in 29 games this season for the German international, Alexandre Lacazette would almost certainly welcome yet more competition.

 

MOTHER FEKIR
Arsenal might not be done there. The Daily Mail claim that Arsene Wenger ‘has identified his No1 summer target,’ and that man is Nabil Fekir of Lyon.

We are told that Wenger is willing to go as high as £45m to secure the attacking midfielder, who has been compared in some circles to that beautiful man, Youri Djorkaeff.

Fekir is likely to be a key member of France’s World Cup squad this summer, and Wenger is eager to seal a move before then. Real Madrid are also interested, but Wenger reckons he can snare a player who turns 25 in July.

A footnote at the bottom of this story also tells us that Wenger is ‘confident of landing West Bromwich Albion central defender Jonny Evans in a £25m transfer’.

a) Isn’t he available for £3m if West Brom, who are bottom, are relegated?

b) Make sure someone responsible is in the taxi with him when he arrives in north London.

 

THE CHOSEN WAN
Liverpool have been listening to Steven Gerrard. “I think Liverpool would benefit from a monster of a central midfielder, a holder,” he said earlier this week. A Wanyama-type player who does sit in and is disciplined, and he would give more protection to the back four.”

By Saturday, the Daily Mail inform us that the Reds ‘are monitoring developments’ with regards to Wanyama. Manchester United and Chelsea are also said to be keeping a keen eye on the midfielder, after he has ‘been used sparingly’ by Tottenham this season. Hasn’t he been injured?

‘Though Gerrard’s remarks were understood to be innocent of any inside information, Wanyama is considered a player of interest and knows several of the Liverpool squad well from his time at Southampton,’ we are told.

Not gonna happen, is it?

 

AND THE REST
Manchester United and France midfielder Paul Pogba, 24, is not a target for Real Madrid… Manchester United are interested in 26-year-old Nice and Ivory Coast midfielder Jean Michael Seri, who has a release clause of £33m… Spanish forward Sandro Ramirez, 22, who is on loan at Sevilla, has told Everton he does not want to return… Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta, 33, could leave the club in the summer. The Spaniard has been being offered a £31m-a-season deal by Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian… Crystal Palace are considering signing 35-year-old former Liverpool goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri, who is available on a free transfer. Eagles manager Roy Hodgson needs cover for Wayne Hennessey as Julian Speroni is out with a knee injury.