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    Arsenal ‘offer Sambi Lokonga to Juventus in swap transfer for Manuel Locatelli’ with midfielder available in January

    ARSENAL could include Albert Sambi Lokonga in a swap deal for Manuel Locatelli, according to reports.The Juventus star is set to be available in January, having failed to fully convince boss Massimiliano Allegri he should be part of his long-term plans.
    Albert Sambi Lokonga could leave Emirates StadiumCredit: Getty
    Manuel Locatelli joined Juve in the summer of 2021Credit: Rex
    Arsenal hold a long-term interest in the midfielder, having tried to sign him last year only to be snubbed in favour of Juve.
    The Gunners hope that Locatelli could now reconsider amid Juventus’ Serie A struggles.
    According to Calciomercato, Mikel Arteta’s side are willing to part with Albert Sambi Lokonga to get a deal over the line.
    They add that Lokonga could be included in a straight swap for Locatelli, with no cash changing hands.
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    The Belgian joined the North Londoners from Anderlecht in 2021 for around £17million but has so far failed to make an impact.
    He started 12 Premier League matches last term – beginning another two so far this time around.
    Lokonga, 22, was used as a late substitute during Arsenal’s 3-1 North London derby win last weekend.
    Euro 2020 winner Locatelli, 24, features more regularly for Juve.
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    He has started six of their eight Serie A matches this campaign, only missing the other two due to injury.
    Manchester United were linked with Locatelli during the summer.
    But the Juve ace reportedly snubbed their potential advances. More

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    Arsenal star William Saliba was ‘lined up for Barcelona transfer in summer before club opted for Jules Kounde’

    ARSENAL star William Saliba was lined up by Barcelona for a transfer over the summer. Saliba, 21, has hit the ground running since breaking into the Arsenal first team this season.
    William Saliba has been an integral part of Arsenal’s rise up the tableCredit: Getty
    However, speculation over the summer suggested the Frenchman may be allowed to leave due to Mikel Arteta previously snubbing him for involvement at Arsenal.
    Consequently, rumours suggested he may leave the Emirates in favour of a transfer back to previous loan club Marseille or even Barcelona.
    The latter were looking at Saliba as one option to bolster their defensive ranks, as reported by Fabrizio Romano.
    But upon beating Chelsea to Jules Kounde, the Spanish giants cooled their interest in the Arsenal man.
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    And as it has turned out, both clubs currently sit top of their respective divisions.
    Barca are level on points with reigning La Liga and Champions League holders Real Madrid, while Arsenal have a one-point gap to Man City after beating North London rivals Tottenham in the derby.
    More recently Saliba has been earmarked to sign a new contract at Arsenal.
    When asked if a contractual agreement could be struck, he said: “Yeah, we will see. They talk a little bit. We will see.”
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    Saliba first arrived at Arsenal from Saint Etienne in 2019 for £27million.
    After his arrival he was shipped out on loan on three occasions to allow him to develop, capping it off by becoming the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year last season.
    Cesc Fabregas – who is a co-owner of Serie B side Como – also levelled high praise at Saliba, declaring he could be an Arsenal defender for the next 20 years. More

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    Arsenal ‘make contact with Manuel Locatelli’ with Juventus ready to accept ‘good transfer offer’ in January

    ARSENAL have made contact with Juventus over a January move for Manuel Locatelli, according to reports in Italy.The Gunners tried to sign the midfielder after his impressive European Championships with Italy last summer.
    Manuel Locatelli is currently on a two-year loan deal at JuventusCredit: Rex
    Instead, Locatelli opted to join Juventus on a two-year loan deal from Sassuolo.
    The 24-year-old is set to return to Sassuolo at the end of this season, where he’ll have just 12 months left on his deal.
    But Italian outlet Calciomercato have claimed that Arsenal have contacted the Old Lady over Locatelli’s services.
    Mikel Arteta’s side continued their outstanding to the campaign after beating Tottenham in the north London derby on Saturday.
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    But the Gunners boss has just three fit midfielders at his disposal after an injury to Mohamed Elneny and his failure to sign one in the summer.
    The Spaniard is in the market for a new midfielder after failing with various deadline day bids for Aston Villa star Doulgas Luiz.
    And the report claims that if Arsenal launch an appropriate offer, it’ll be considered by Juventus, who have an obligation to make Locatelli’s move from Sassuolo permanent.
    His form in Turin has been underwhelming under Massimiliano Allegri, highlighted by the fact he’s started just four times for Italy since the Euros final.
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    Regardless, Arteta is still clearly willing to take a punt on the Italian in a bid to improve his engine room options.
    Locatelli has played seven times this season, but his place in the side could be under serious threat once Paul Pogba returns from injury. More

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    Chelsea ‘join Arsenal in Dusan Vlahovic transfer race as Juventus win just three of first eight games’

    CHELSEA have reportedly joined Dusan Vlahovic’s growing list of suitors. Arsenal are long-term admirers of the prolific 6ft 3in Serbia striker and may now face competition from their London rivals.
    Dusan Vlahovic already has five goals and an assist for Juventus this seasonCredit: AFP
    The 22-year-old is thought to have snubbed the Gunners by joining Juventus from Fiorentina for £66million in January.
    And despite an underwhelming start to the season for the Old Lady in which they have won just three of their first eight Serie A games, Vlahovic has continued to build his growing reputation.
    The star averages just about a goal-every-other-game for club and country.
    He has 14 in 30 games for Juve, a total which includes five goals and an assist from seven outings in this campaign.
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    Now Graham Potter’s Blues might go for him as they continue to look for an option to fill the Romelu Lukaku-shaped hole in their side left by the big Belgium striker’s return on loan to Inter Milan.
    Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are also keen, according to Il Bianconero.
    Last month, it was reported the Gunners are lining up a fresh bid for the star in January.
    Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was said to be pushing the club’s board to splash out more than £100m to land Vlahovic and his Juve midfield team-mate Fabio Miretti.
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    And with the Italian giants seven points off the pace in Serie A, and Arsenal top of the Prem, the Perm giants will be hoping they will prove an attractive proposition in the new year.
    Vlahovic made his name as the first player in Fiorentina’s history to score more than 30 Serie A goals in one season.
    He also has eight goals in 16 games for his country. More

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    Liverpool ‘join Arsenal in Youri Tielemans transfer race’ with Leicester midfielder’s contract expiring in summer

    LIVERPOOL want to sign Youri Tielemans in the next transfer window, according to sources. Arsenal will be joined by the Merseyside team as they race to land the 25-year-old, according to calciomercato,
    Liverpool are reportedly eyeing up a winter swoop for TielemansCredit: Getty
    The Belgian international’s contract expires in the summer of 2023 and Leicester may look to cash in before he leaves on a free.
    Tielemans looks unlikely to pen an extension so he will be free to negotiate free agency with any clubs outside of England from January 1.
    Juventus and Real Madrid are said to be looking forward to that date.
    But it’s Prem rivals Arsenal and Manchester United who are expected to be Liverpool’s biggest competition to secure a January cut-price deal.
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    The Gunners have reportedly been working on a deal for Tielemans over the past year, but no official offer has been made yet.
    Mikel Arteta may be tempted to pull the trigger on a bid if the Belgian is available for a cut-price fee.
    He has previously indicated that he wants to leave Leicester for a team competing in the Champions League.
    However, one report claimed that Youri Tielemans is the “chosen one” for Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.
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    Meanwhile the 2015-16 Prem champions lost Wesley Fofana to Chelsea last month, while stalwart Kasper Schmeichel left for Nice.
    Brendan Rodgers’ side sit bottom of the Premier League after picking up just one point from their opening seven games.
    They face Nottingham Forest on Monday night. More

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    Chelsea ‘monitor Gabriel Martinelli as Graham Potter mulls shock transfer bid to poach Arsenal’ star

    CHELSEA are keeping an eye on in-form Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli, according to reports.The 21-year-old has impressed at the Emirates since his 2019 transfer from Ituano.
    Chelsea are monitoring MartinelliCredit: Rex
    Martinelli has proved reliable in a number of positions for Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, playing out wide or up top.
    And he has taken up a more prominent role this term following the departures of Nicolas Pepe, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
    The Brazil star has started every single game for Arsenal this season, scoring three and assisting one.
    He also played a starring role in Arsenal’s 3-1 North London Derby win over Tottenham at the weekend, being a constant nuisance to Spurs’ full-backs.
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    But with the winger continuing to impress, Martinelli is now attracting interest from one of Arsenal’s top four rivals.
    According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea are monitoring Martinelli.
    The player is under contract until 2024 and he is one of three players the Gunners are hoping to tie down to long-term deals.
    Bukayo Saka is another, as is William Saliba, who has been a rock at the back since returning from a loan spell at Marseille.
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    Chelsea are under new management – both in the board room and on the pitch.
    Whether Martinelli was on Chelsea’s radar before owner Todd Boehly and manager Graham Potter’s arrival is yet to be seen.
    In a bid to scare off any interested parties, Arsenal intend to spend in the January transfer window.
    A new central midfielder is on the Gunners’ radar as they look to cement a place in the top four.
    Arsenal also sit top of the table and appear to be Manchester City’s nearest rival to winning the Premier League with usual suspects Liverpool and Chelsea faltering. More

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    Arsenal ‘make enquiry’ to Juventus over Manuel Locatelli transfer after Italian ‘rejected Man Utd’ in the summer

    ARSENAL are interested in signing Juventus star Manuel Locatelli, according to reports.The Gunners’ interest in the midfielder dates back to before his Juve switch last year.
    Manuel Locatelli has made 49 appearances for JuventusCredit: Getty
    Locatelli, 24, snubbed the North Londoners last year as he “dreamed” of moving to the Turin giants.
    But Arsenal chiefs believe that they may now be able to convince the Italian to change his mind.
    According to Calciomercato, the Gunners have sounded out Locatelli’s representatives to see if he would now be open to moving to the Emirates.
    They add that Juventus would be willing to consider letting Locatelli go for the right price.
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    The Old Lady signed Locatelli on an initial loan deal last year with a £30.8million obligation to buy.
    It’s reported that Arsenal actually bid £34m for his services at the time, only to be turned down by the player.
    It’s also claimed that Locatelli snubbed potential advances from Manchester United over the summer.
    He started Juve’s first five Serie A matches of this season, before being struck down by a muscular injury.
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    Locatelli was part of Italy’s victorious Euro 2020 side.
    The 24-cap ace featured in the final against England at Wembley, before making his switch to Juventus.
    He has since made 49 appearances for the Serie A giants, scoring three goals and laying on five assists. More

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    ‘It disappoints me terribly’ – Arsenal snub David Dein as they refuse to stock former chief’s book in club store

    DAVID DEIN is being snubbed by old club Arsenal — who refuse to stock his new book in their shop.The former Gunners supremo was one of the main reasons for their successful era under Arsene Wenger and has just published his life story.
    David Dean is being snubbed by old club Arsenal — who refuse to stock his new book in their shopCredit: Getty
    Dein confirmed that the popular book was banned from the Emirates store.
    He revealed: “I’m sad to say it’s not in the Arsenal shop and that disappoints me terribly. It’s very delicate to answer why.
    “The publishers tried to put it in and I heard that the media department wanted to protect the owners, which was unfortunate.”
    Dean was vice-chairman of Arsenal between 1983 and 2007.
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    And he recently admitted letting Ashley Cole sign for Chelsea in 2006 was among his greatest regrets.
    He told talkSPORT: “We should never have lost him in my opinion.
    “His contract came up for re-negotiation and we didn’t offer him the right sort of money and meanwhile Chelsea did.
    “And then there was this clandestine meeting. I got a call one day from a journalist from the News of the World at the time.
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    “He said, ‘We’ve got a hot story off the press that your player Ashley Cole is actually being tapped up by Chelsea, I think you should come and see us’.
    “So I went down to their offices and they showed a signed statement from a waiter in a restaurant, in a hotel where Cole was meeting Chelsea.
    “He was an Arsenal fan, the waiter, clearly, and he gave the story to the News of the World and it broke there and then. That really was the end of that.
    “It was a great shame because Ashley was homegrown, he was an Arsenal boy, and I regret we didn’t do enough at the time to keep him at the club.
    “It was also at the time of building the stadium and financing, tensions were raging about how we were going to finance the new stadium and we were watching every penny.
    “Consequently we didn’t do enough to keep him and I regret that with hindsight. So Ashley, if you’re listening, I’m sorry.”
    David Dean was vice-chairman of Arsenal between 1983 and 2007Credit: Getty More