Arsenal Make £24m Bid For Long-Term Man Utd Target

The summer transfer window is now open for business and it’s expected to be a busy few weeks as managers strengthen their squads ahead of next season, so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, Arsenal make a move for William Carvalho.

Arsenal have made a €30m (£24m) bid for long-term Manchester United target William Carvalho, according to reports in Portugal.

The 22-year-old has emerged as one of the most in-demand young midfielders in Europe after an excellent season for Sporting Lisbon last year, with his powerful displays in the middle of the park earning him a place in the Portugal squad for this summers World Cup finals.

Manchester United have long been linked with a move for Carvalho and reports earlier this month suggested that Louis van Gaal was ready to renew the clubs interest as he looks to bring in a partner for Ander Herrera in his new-look side at Old Trafford.

However, it looks like the former champions have some stiff competition with reports in Portuguese newspaper O Jogo claiming today that Arsenal have now entered the chase and tabled a formal €30m (£24m) bid.

Arsene Wenger is believed to be on the look-out for a defensive-minded midfielder this summer and Carvalho would certainly add some much-needed power and physicality to the Gunners talented side.

But it appears the north Londoners are going to have to dig a little deeper if they want to lure the Angola-born ace to the Emirates as O Jogo state that their offer falls short of the players €45m buy-out clause and Sporting are reluctant to sell their star man for anything less.

Another issue for the Portuguese outfit is that Arsenal have proposed to pay the £24m fee in two installments, and as Sporting only own 60% of the players rights, they would prefer to get the entire fee upfront.

So while a deal is yet to be agreed between the two clubs, should Wenger be prepared to pay a larger fee in advance, then he may be able to negotiate a fee below Carvalho’s €45m buy-out figure.

READ MORE –> Arsenal transfer news | Man Utd transfer news

However, it remains to be seen how United will respond to the news that Arsenal have made a formal move for the player and we may find that van Gaal will now step up his interest and a ‘bidding war’ situation could ensue.