Transfer News: £33m-Rated Chelsea Target Fuels Arsenal Move Talk

With the summer transfer window now closed for business, it’s time to start looking at those deals that failed to get over the line and those which are being lined-up for the future. Today, William Carvalho fuels talk of a potential move to Arsenal…

Reported Chelsea target William Carvalho has fuelled talk of a potential big-money move to Arsenal after confirming his fondness for the North London club, according to ESPN.

Carvalho came through the Sporting Lisbon youth system before breaking into the first team set-up in 2013 and he’s gone on to become one of the most highly-rated young midfielders in European football.

The 23-year-old has long been linked with a move to the Premier League and Arsenal in particular have been touted as a possible destination with the Express reporting in July that Arsene Wenger was primed to launch a formal swoop for the player.

An untimely injury ended any hopes of a move to the Emirates during the summer but the Express claimed last month that Arsenal were still showing a keen interest in the Portuguese star and were lining-up a move for when the transfer window re-opened in January.

It appeared the Gunners would face some serious competition as the Metro then claimed that Chelsea had joined the race for Carvalho’s signature with Jose Mourinho supposedly identifying the Sporting star as the man to rejuvenate his flagging team.

However, the West Londoners will be disappointed to hear Carvalho’s latest comments as the midfielder has now been quoted as saying that he’s always been a fan of Arsenal ever since the days of Thierry Henry, fuelling talk he could head for the Emirates when he finally leaves Lisbon.

“I am where I want to be right now, which is Sporting, but if I ever do leave then it’s a sign that my work here was well done, I dream of winning the Primeira Liga here.

“I prefer not to say too much, but there is a club with which I’ve always been fond of: Arsenal. Because of Thierry Henry, a player with whom I have always enjoyed watching.

“Maybe this is why I look with so much affection to the Premier League.” Carvalho is quoted as saying by ESPN

Defensive midfield is certainly an area Arsene Wenger could do with strengthening as Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini are coming towards the end of their careers at Arsenal so they’ll need competition for Francis Coquelin over the coming years.

READ MORE –> Arsenal transfer news | Chelsea transfer news

Carvalho would be a superb signing if the Gunners could pull it off but they may have to dig deep as ESPN claim he has a €45m (£33m) buy out clause written in to his contract and Sporting have proven to be tough negotiators in the past.