Arsenal + Man Utd Dealt Blow In Pursuit Of £37m Midfielder

The summer transfer window may be closed but managers are already thinking ahead to future transfer windows so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, more on the future of Arsenal and Manchester United target William Carvalho.

Arsenal and Manchester United could be handed a blow in their pursuit of long-term target William Carvalho with Sporting Lisbon ready to hand him a new contract, according to reports in Portugal.

Carvalho was one of the most talked about players during the summer transfer window with clubs all over Europe linked with a move for the powerful defensive midfielder after his impressive season with Sporting last year.

At one stage Arsenal were thought to be leading the chase as reports claimed the Gunners had seen a £20m offer rejected in early August, with Sporting understood to be holding out for the full value of the players £37m release clause.

Man Utd were also linked with a move for the 22-year-old with Louis van Gaal believed to have identified Carvalho as the dominant midfielder he wanted in his new-look side at Old Trafford, and the Dutchman sent scouts to watch the player in action against Benfica earlier this month.

However, it appears the Premier League duo look set to be handed a blow in their pursuit as Portuguese newspaper Record claims that Sporting are about to offer Carvalho a new deal that includes a huge pay-rise in order to persuade him to remain at the club.

The youngster is only currently on around €100,000-a-year but the newspaper suggests Sporting will put forward a new long-term deal worth around €500,000-a-year. This would make him one of the clubs top earners but still well below the likes of Rui Patricio and Adrien, who are believed to earn €1,000,000-a-year.

The good news for Arsenal and United is this contract is WELL below the kind of wage Carvalho could expect to earn if he made the switch to England, and I’m sure the players agent will be well aware of this fact and will take it into consideration when it comes to negotiating and advising his client on whether to sign the deal.

It’s also not known whether Sporting want to remove, or perhaps increase, the midfielders buy-out clause as that’s surely going to have a barring on whether he agrees terms or not, as he wont want to close the door on a potential move in the near future.

It will be interesting to see how this all develops but it also remains to be seen whether Arsenal or United renew their interest in the player either in January or next Summer. The Gunners failed to bring in a defensive midfielder so there is every chance Arsene Wenger could go back in for Carvalho but United’s interest may have dampened after they brought in Daley Blind in the summer.