Transfer rumours

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Arsenal turn to £10M Barcelona ace Toure

Arsenal are chasing Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure.

The People says Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is hoping Yaya will do what no player has yet managed at Arsenal - fill the boots of Patrick Vieira.

Midfielder Yaya - who is 25 on Tuesday - has been identified by Wenger as the man to bring some bite back to his side.

Yaya, whose brother Kolo is a likely candidate to skipper Arsenal next season, had a trial with the Gunners in 2002 but Wenger decided not to offer him a deal.

And two years ago, the player was also linked with a move back to the north London outfit.

Now, however, Wenger is ready to make his move and, with Barcelona looking to appoint former star defender Pep Guardiola as boss this summer, a £10m deal is in the offing.

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Arsenal chasing Stuttgart striker Gomez

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is leading the chase to sign Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez according to reports.

Gomez, 22, currently plays for Stuttgart and is making a huge name for himself in the Bundesliga. Last year he was voted the German player of the year and this season he is currently the second highest top scorer in the Bundesliga, behind Luca Toni, having scored 18 goals in 23 appearances.

His goals have brought him to the attention of Wenger and the young striker is thought to be interesting the Arsenal manager who is looking to bolster his strike force.

Gomez, who despite the Spanish sounding name - his father is Spanish but his mother German, has already broken into the German national side.

The striker will be looking to make an impact this summer at Euro 2008 and if he does, no doubt his price tag will rocket.

BrUtUs SG

dun tink yaya will come... cos still got diaby and denilson...

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Nah ... Gilberto is most likely leaving ... That leaves us with no backups ... Diaby converted to left midfielder .

BrUtUs SG

Nah ... Gilberto is most likely leaving ... That leaves us with no backups ... Diaby converted to left midfielder .

hope not... even he himself dun wanna play left... look at the pool match he played at central and he did ok... hope vela and barazite will become backup for left while diaby, denilson and randall will stay as central.. and kick eboue back to rightback...

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Gunners boss Arsene Wenger will be looking to bolster his options in central midfield over the summer following the departure of Mathieu Flamini for AC Milan.

The January sale of Lassana Diarra and the declining form of Gilberto Silva leaves Arsenal rather thinner in the middle of the park than they would like, sparking speculation that Wenger will splash out in the transfer window.

And according to The People, the Frenchman has pegged Toure to fill the void left by not only Flamini’s departure, but that of former skipper Patrick Vieira in 2005.

The former AS Monaco man has been linked with Arsenal several times over the last six years, due to the fact his brother and fellow Ivory Coast international Kolo Toure plays for the club.

And with the Toure the elder set to receive the captain’s armband next season, and Barca preparing to enter a new phase under Josep Guardiola, the time could not be riper for Toure the younger to make a ₤10 million switch to North London.

BrUtUs SG

i wun wan him at arsenal.... y? cos he will disappear mid season to play ANC like his bro... then tat time the team will be weakened...

glacer SG

i wun wan him at arsenal.... y? cos he will disappear mid season to play ANC like his bro... then tat time the team will be weakened...

at least he can help arsenal

BrUtUs SG

at least he can help arsenal

if its for long term player theres better ones to go for... try not to get too foreign else FIFA or uefa put quota sure headache....

looks like pool is clearing out some players... tink can go get riise...

BrUtUs SG

Something fresh rather than the usual news of hleb...

Barcelona star Yaya Toure admits it 'would be fantastic' to join older brother Kolo at Arsenal next season.

The 25-year-old was one of the few, along with Lionel Messi, to enjoy a good season at Barca in a disappointing campaign that saw the Catalan club end the year empty-handed yet again.

But with a new coach in Josep Guardiola and a grand-scale clearout proposed at the Nou Camp, Toure could head for the exit door just a year after moving from Monaco.

'I am conscious of interest from certain Premier League clubs,' Toure told L'Equipe.

'I can't say anything for the moment, but it's true that it would be great to play for a big club with my brother.

'That would be fantastic, but you never know.'

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is reportedly ready to table a £10million bid for Toure - a player whose skills he is well aware of.

The Ivory Coast midfielder had a pre-season trial at Arsenal, but failed to seal a permanent move and joined Olympiacos in summer 2005 instead.

While Toure would love to link up with his brother he also professed his admiration for new Barca boss Guardiola - a player he models himself on.

'We had a very difficult season and it was very hard for us, because we are winners in spirit,' Toure added.

'We have so many talented players, I can't understand how we are so far from Real Madrid.

'Guardiola was one of my favourite players.

'He is a leader of the game who plays just in front of the defence and he played football how it should be played.

'I loved watching him when I was learning my skill.'

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Gunners boss keen on Zarate

ARSENAL are believed to be weighing up a move for talented Argentinian forward Mauro Zarate.

The 21-year-old scored four goals in six starts for Birmingham City after signing on loan from Qatar outfit Al-Sadd in January.

Blues officials had been in negotiations with the player's agents over extending the loan deal through to next season, but he quit the club following their relegation from the Premier League.

Now the Gunners are reported to be one of two Premier League clubs showing an interest in signing the youngster.

"Mauro's going to be an attractive proposition to Premier League clubs - in fact I know he is," Birmingham boss Alex McLeish told the Birmingham Mail.

"I said, at times, if he went into a team a little bit technically more proficient than us - and I meant that with no disrespect to our boys - he would be even better.

"He's a real talent and it's just a shame that our situation counted against us."

Al-Sadd are said to be demanding £20 million for Zarate's signature, so a season-long loan deal would appear to be the most likely option for the north Londoners.

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Arsenal are believed to be preparing a summer swoop for Marseille starlet Samir Nasri.

The Gunners are keen to bolster their midfield options following the departure of Mathieu Flamini to Milan and have identified the French international as their prime target.

The 21-year-old signed a new long-term contract at Stade Velodrome just a fortnight ago, but it is understood that the deal was only agreed in order to settle a transfer protocol with the Ligue 1 club.

Marseille are subsequently in a position to demand 17.8million euros (£14million) for the player, a figure which Arsene Wenger may struggle to meet.

If the Gunners fail in their attempts to bring the playmaker to Emirates Stadium, Internazionale and Real Madrid are expected to renew the interest they showed in Nasri last year.

Eric Gerets admits that the likelihood of keeping the midfielder in France looks slim and expects one of Europe's top clubs to come knocking during the close season.

"Before thinking about bringing in reinforcements over the summer we need to know who is going to stay, and above all the players I want to keep," the Marseille boss told L'Equipe.

"If there is a big offer for Samir, then of course he will leave.

"I can't criticize the club because it is the same everywhere. When there is a huge offer made, players leave."

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Hope we can capture Ben Arfa and Nasri ... Or either one ... We will have Carlos Vela back for next season and we will need another central midfielder and a central defender ... Perhaps Yaya and Raul Albiol will be good

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The 23-year-old Italy international has been capped four times and is seen by Arsene Wenger as a possible replacement for the departed Mathieu Flamini. Arsenal have already outlined personal terms.

Wenger is also interested in Marseille's ￠G15million-rated 20-year-old playmaker Samir Nasri, who has talked of playing his last game for the French club.

FC Laval's midfielder Francis Coquelin, 17, is also expected to join Arsenal after a successful trial earlier this month.