Arsenal Agree Three-Year Deal With Williams, £10m Move Expected Within Fortnight

With the summer transfer window set to re-open, there is plenty of gossip doing the rounds in the newspapers so we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest transfer rumours. Today, Arsenal are reported to have agreed terms with Ashley Williams.

Reports today are claiming that Arsenal have agreed terms with long-term Liverpool target Ashley Williams and are expected to complete the £10m signing of the Swansea City captain within the next 2 weeks.

Williams was in superb form at the heart of Michael Laudrup’s defence last season, marshalling the side to a 9th place finish in the Premier League and lead the Welsh club to a League Cup triumph at Wembley.

His form has alerted the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool but Goal.com are claiming today that the Gunners have won the race to land the 28-year-old after agreeing terms over a three-year contract worth £60,000-a-week.

The report suggests that Arsene Wenger has made a centre-back a priority this summer with the future of Thomas Vermaelen in serious doubt and it seems he has identified Williams as the man to replace the Belgian international.

Goal claim the north Londoners are in negotiations with Swansea and have opened the bidding at £8m, but a deal worth around £10m is expected to be finalised within the next fortnight.  While I’ve not found Goal.com to be a wholly reliable source in the past, the Daily Mail are also running a similar report so it seems there may be some foundation to this story.

There is no doubt Williams was in impressive form last season but you’d have to question the logic of Arsenal paying £10m for a player who’ll turn 29 in August, will therefore have little sell-on value and is unlikely to be a regular first team player next season. Vermaelen is 27 and arguably a better all-round defender anyway, so surely it would make more sense to keep hold of him?

Brendan Rodgers is on the look-out for an experienced centre-back to replace Jamie Carragher so I’d say a move to Liverpool would make more sense in many ways, but then there is the question over whether the clubs owners would sanction the purchase of a player who’s close to hitting 30 as they’re believed to prefer buying younger players with potential sell-on value.

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Will Arsenal fans be happy if Williams replaces Vermaelen? Will Liverpool fans be disappointed to miss out? Get involved in the comments section below.