Arsenal transfer news LIVE: Gunners ‘PUSHING’ to sign Rabiot, Saliba contract issues

Rabiot, 27, saw his move to Manchester United breakdown last summer but it has now been claimed that the Gunners want to sign him instead.

Meanwhile, Rabiot’s French compatriot William Saliba is reportedly having contractual issues.

It has been reported that Arsenal are not offering a wage his representatives consider commensurate with the long deal the club want to tie him down to.

And Gunners fans believe that Edu’s cooking post means that there will be incoming transfer this January.

Follow ALL the action from the Emirates with our live blog below…

  • Toure praises Carrick

    Arsenal Invincible Kolo Toure has heaped praise on former Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick.

    Carrick, now in the dugout at Middlesbrough, will resume the long-standing United/Arsenal rivalry against Toure when they face off on Boxing Day.

    And Toure, now Wigan’s manager, praised Carrick as a player and said it was not surprising to see him doing well now ahead of their meeting.

    He told Wigan Today: “It’s a great challenge for us. I like challenges, and this is another challenge. They’re a very good team with a very good manager that I know very well.

    “As a player, Michael was unbelievable, and it’s no surprise to see what he’s doing as a manager.

    “He knows the game, he’s a very intelligent guy, and he’s doing a great job. We’re all looking forward to it, definitely.”

    Carrick was appointed at Middlesbrough on October 24, and has won four of his seven Championship games.

  • Holding us up

    Arsenal defender Rob Holding has said the atmosphere at the Emirates this season is “different” to previous seasons, and declared it to be the best he has heard at the club.

    Speaking to Arsenal’s in-house media Holding said: “When I first joined we had some great moments, big games, late wins or whatever. It’s been wild before.

    “The difference this year is that we are hearing it from the kick-off.

    “We can sense everyone being loud and behind us, so yeah it’s the best I’ve known since I’ve been at Arsenal in terms of that, definitely…

    “The supporters are really doing their bit to boost the atmosphere.”

    Credit: Getty
  • Gun muzzle

    Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has cautioned against the departure of defender Cedric Soares.

    The full-back has been linked with a move away from the Emirates in January.

    However, Arteta said the club already had a plan in place and would be careful what they did in January.

    He said: “We know where we are in terms of the squad and also the numbers that we have, so we’re going to be extremely cautious in what we do in this window.”

    Fulham have been linked with a loan transfer in recent days.

  • Bell tolls

    Barcelona have no plans to sell Franck Kessie or Hector Bellerin in January.

    President Joan Laporta hit back at the idea the pair, who have struggled for game time, would be allowed to leave.

    He said: “We are now convinced that Kessié & Bellerin have more prominence in this second part of the season.”

    Former Arsenal star Bellerin joined the club on a free transfer after the Gunners sanctioned his departure last summer.

    He has appeared just five times since the move.

  • Fe-lixing the Guns

    Arsenal have joined Manchester United in the pursuit of Joao Felix, according to reports.

    Felix is out of favour at Atletico Madrid and has been granted permission to leave in January.

    This has opened the door to possible moves for Felix to the Premier League, with United and Arsenal interested.

    However, with both clubs set to prioritise the majority of their funds elsewhere, a loan move for Felix appears to be more viable.

    And according to the Daily Record, Atletico will allow a loan move so long as the Portuguese ace’s wages are covered as part of the deal – which will cost a cool £8m.

  • William Salbiba’s contractual issues

    Arsenal are hoping to tie William Saliba down to a new long-term deal as quick as possible but the Gunners seem to be having issues.

     

    It has been reported that the North London club have failed to meet Saliba’s representatives expectations.

    But talks are still ongoing to get the deal done as the French defender is a vital asset to Mikel Arteta’s project.

    There was also reportedly a collective desire not to disrupt Saliba’s focus during the World Cup which is why the contract has not been sorted sooner.

  • Good morning Arsenal fans

    Arsenal look set to lose out on Brazil star Matheus Cunha with Wolves confident of landing the forward, according to reports.

    Julen Lopetegui is looking to bring reinforcements into Molineux after taking over as boss of the Midlands club.

    The Spaniard has a big job on his hands with misfiring Wolves propping up the Premier League table heading into the World Cup break.

    But the club look to have gotten a boost as the Mail indicates they are closing in on Cunha.

    The striker is out of favour at Atletico Madrid and had been linked with a Premier League move.

    Arsenal were among several English clubs linked with the 23-year-old.

    Meanwhile, Arsenal will extend Charlie Patino’s contract for a further two years.

    The youngster was out of contract next summer and attracting interest from top teams including Barcelona.

    Arsenal have now moved to prevent Patino’s immediate exit by triggering a two-year extension clause.

    But that still doesn’t solve the ace’s long-term future, with Patino wanting a pay rise and promises of a role in the first team.

  • Petit doubts Nketiah quality

    Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit fears Eddie Nketiah is not ready to replace the injured Gabriel Jesus.

    He said: “Arsenal definitely, and even Arteta has said it, are short of options. They need more players.

    “Nketiah is a good player but he is still young. He is gaining experience all the time, but you can’t replace Jesus with Nketiah and expect the same results.

    “It is too soon for him. If you put him in and expect that, that is not fair on the player, but his time will come.”

  • Arteta reveals tactical conversation with Xhaka

    Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says Granit Xhaka adapting to a more advanced role was a “necessity” and revealed he threatened to AXE him if he didn’t.

    The Gunners boss told Sky Sports: “I think it was a necessity [change in role].

    “I think the squad wanted to evolve to another level and be more dominant and have more resources in the final third to attack and to score more goals. We needed to make that change.

    “I spoke to him at the end of the season and said, ‘I need to unlock something in your brain because you’re so comfortable and confident playing in this area that you have forgot what is actually going to win us the game and the team now demands somebody here, so unless you unlock that I’m going to have to do something about it’.

    “He took it straight away. He’s a very intelligent player, he came to pre-season fitter than ever, slimmer than ever, and he knew that if we wanted to take the team to a different level we had to change his role. He knew that was coming.

    “We believed he has those qualities, those qualities were there to be exploited and they were hiding. The team needed those qualities very much.”

  • Arsenal’s next five games

    Here are Arsenal’s five upcoming matches as they prepare to return to action following the World Cup break:

    • West Ham (H) – December 26
    • Brighton (A) – December 31
    • Newcastle (H) – January 3
    • Oxford United (A) – January 9 (FA Cup)
    • Tottenham (A) – January 15
  • Arsenal vs West Ham details

    Arsenal vs West Ham will take place on Boxing Day – Monday, December 26.

    Emirates Stadium will play host to the clash.

    The game will kick off at 8pm UK time.

    Arsenal’s clash with West Ham will be shown live on Amazon Prime Video.

    You can live stream the action from the Amazon Prime Video app, which is available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.

    You can watch the game for free by signing up to an Amazon Prime Video free trial, which is valid for 30 days.

About Esha Saxena Mandala

Esha Saxena Mandala has extensive experience as a freelance writer, journalist, and content strategist. She has over six years of editorial and inbound marketing expertise and is fascinated with creating wonderful content that is insanely useful and effective.

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