TRANSFER NEWS: Arsenal & Liverpool Linked With £20m Playmaker

A talented Brazilian midfielder, with genuine attacking flair and top class experience who is looking to leave his club, and dreams of playing in the Premier League – it is the perfect situation for a prospective buyer from England. Arsenal have apparently recognised this, according to the German media, and are prepared to spend as much as £20 million for him as Arsene Wenger prepares to let go of both Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri for a healthy sum of cash.

Arsenal have been tracking the Wolfsburg midfielder since his days at Werder Bremen – the most successful and fruitful time of the 26 year-old’s career, where he played 128 times, scoring an impressive 52 goals. However, his transfer to Italy with Juventus proved unsuccessful, and was sold to the German club Wolfsburg in 2010, only for him to fall out with the coaching staff and has been told to look for a new club. Diego said:

“At this moment I desperately want to play in England. There are talks with several clubs just starting. It is way too early to admit my destination. Anyway, it would be perfect to feature in the Premiership in the future.”

“I will definitely consider all offers in a careful manner. It is my dream to play in the Premiership. I am looking forward to getting a solution.”

It is a big indication of his future, but Arsenal will have competition, with both Liverpool and Aston Villa interested in Diego’s often controversial services. His talent is large, but he is hindered by his sometimes erratic behaviour off the pitch, for which he has been fined heavily by Wolfsburg recently. When he was informed that he would be starting on the bench in one game, he was so incensed that he left the stadium, leaving Wolfsburg with fewer players on the bench to chose from.

Yes, he may be a handful, but according to these reports, Arsenal along with Liverpool and Aston Villa would be willing to take the risk and attempt to manage Diego’s temperament in return for a creative spark in the middle of the field.

One source claims Wolfsburg would be asking for as little as £9 million for the Brazilian, while another says that Arsenal would be willing to spend up to £20 million to win over his services from rivals, presumably from the money to come in from the sales of Fabregas and/or Nasri.

In 30 games for Wolfsburg in his latest season, Diego scored six goals and assisted 9, and has a contract with Wolfsburg, signed last season for four years. The Arsenal manager has shown definate interest in Diego in the past – in 2008, when he played for Werer Bremen, the player’s agent and father said: “Real, Arsenal and Juve all want my son.”

Submitted by DBSFootball