Arsenal have made signing Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho their ‘priority’ and are in negotiations – according to reports in Spain.
A journalist from the Spanish newspaper MARCA tweeted earlier in the week:
William Carvalho is main priority for @Arsenal Negotiating 30 mill pounds maximum to close the deal. Difficult times for @valenciacf
— Marcos López (@marcoslopez) June 30, 2015
A Spanish journalist from Marca – I’m not sure why he’d know too much about a potential deal to be honest. O Jogo in Portugal frequently report of Arsenal’s interest in Carvalho – and whilst the Gunners have scouted him on several occasions, we have not yet heard about any official bid.
£30million is not what we will pay, as Sporting Lisbon’s asking price was just €30million euros, although they may well have tried to raise that after Carvalho’s impressive performances in the European under 21 Championships.
There’s a lot of s*** circulating this summer, but there’s a lot of smoke around this story and the Gunners held genuine interest last summer. Something which could see a deal breakdown is the players agent, who is known for his hard negotiating. But Carvalho himself will not want a lot of money, so things could even out in that aspect.
Carvalho is a very intelligent central midfielder, also capable of playing in defence. He does not have much pace or mobility but makes up for it with his positioning and anticipation. When you see him play he has an almost effortless demeanour about him – and it makes you think he isn’t trying his hardest!
Although he struggled in the Champions League this season, I think Carvalho has the potential to be world class and could realise that potential at The Emirates. At 23, he’s well worth the investment if we can get him for less than £25million.
Would you like to see us sign Carvalho? Comment with your thoughts below.