With just over 20 days of the transfer window remaining, Arsenal have been linked with several big players to round off their summer spending. Here are three big signings the Gunners could still pull off.
3. William Carvalho
William Carvalho is a Portuguese midfielder who plays for Sporting Lisbon. The 22-year-old has already made six appearances for Portugal, including several at the World Cup, and looks set to have a huge future in football.
It was not until the past season that Carvalho had established himself, but when he did, he made a massive impact, earning an incredible five Young Player of the Month awards in the Portuguese Liga. It’s no secret that Arsenal need a holding midfielder, and the talented William Carvalho seems to be the best possible fit for this Arsenal team.
Whether Arsenal will actually sign him is debatable. It’s a confusing transfer wrangle, and one which many people claim to have an ‘inside knowledge’ on, but in reality are none the wiser than anyone else.
So let’s assess the facts. Sporting Lisbon are in financial turmoil. Arsenal are interested in William Carvalho. These two facts are certain. What is also certain is that William Carvalho has a release clause of around £30m, and would accept a move to Arsenal should a fee be agreed.
What seems to be the hurdle is that Arsenal don’t want to pay as much as £30m, with a fee of £24m reported to be their highest offer. With Sporting Lisbon’s financial problems, it could well be the case that they wait towards the end of the window to see if anyone will pay £30m for Carvalho, and, if not, simply sell to Arsenal for £24m. Whatever happens, it seems as if the Carvalho issue will not be sorted sooner rather than later.
Â