Arsenal Open Talks With Tottenham Target Ahead Of Possible £35m Move

The summer transfer window is in full swing and managers are working hard on their transfer targets so we’ll bring you all the latest gossip from around the globe. Today, Arsenal are in talks with Tottenham target Andre Gomes…

Arsenal have stolen a march on Tottenham after opening talks with Andre Gomes ahead of a potential £35m move from Barcelona this summer, according to reports in France via TeamTalk.

Gomes came through the youth ranks at Benfica but really made his name during an impressive two-year spell at Valencia which earned him a dream move to Barcelona in the summer of 2016 after he was lined-up as a potential long-term successor for Xavi.

However, the 24-year-old’s time at the Nou Camp hasn’t gone according to plan as Gomes struggled to hold down a regular starting spot under Ernesto Valverde and managed to start just 6 La Liga games last season with the vast majority of his playing time coming from the substitutes bench.

Gomes has admitted that he’s endured a tough time of things at Barcelona and the Portuguese international is expected to leave the Catalans after being left out of their pre-season tour squad this week.

The situation has alerted clubs here in the Premier League as TeamTalk cited a report from Gianluca Di Marzio last week that claimed Tottenham had joined Arsenal in the race to sign Gomes this summer.

Mauricio Pochettino has been quiet in the transfer market so far but he’s expected to sign a midfielder amid speculation linking Mousa Dembele with a move away from north London and it seems Gomes could be viewed as a potential replacement.

However, Arsenal have stolen a march on Spurs as TeamTalk are citing reports from France as saying that boss Unai Emery and head of recruitment Sven Mislintat have now held talks with Gomes about a move to the Emirates.

Emery has already signed midfielder duo Lucas Torreira and Mattero Guendouzi this summer but after losing Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere it seems the Gunners boss wants to add a bit more creativity to his ranks and Gomes has been identified as a prime target.

The report says the Portuguese star is determined to leave the Nou Camp and Barcelona are likely to sell if £35m [€40m] is put on the table – despite Gomes’s release clause being set at £88m – as they want to make a small profit on the money they paid Valencia two years ago.

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We’ll have to wait and see how talks progress and while we can’t discount Tottenham from the running just yet, it looks like Arsenal are in pole position to sign Gomes if he opts for a move to the Premier League.