Arsenal chase the ‘German Messi’, Marko Marin

German international Marko Marin's future remains unclear but reports in both the German and Bosnian media suggest Arsenal are the leading contenders to secure the 21-year-old's signature. Currently with Werder Bremen, the Bosnian-born midfielder has been linked with a host of clubs in recent months but the Gunners are rumoured to have moved ahead of the field.

Dubbed the "German Messi" by some people - probably his agent - Marin cost Bremen £7m when they signed him from Borussia Monchengladbach last year, but German reports suggest that his evaluation has now increased to around £15m. Whether Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger could ever bring himself to part with such an amount, given that he's as tight as Cesc Fabregas's hamstring, isn't known but if he doesn't make a bid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester United might make an approach for the player who's made 15 appearances for Germany since his debut in 2008.

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has made it clear the Blues have no interest in signing Liverpool's ailing striker Fernando Torres. The Spaniard's goalscoring form has gone into recession this year and Ancelotti has no plans to initiate a rescue package for the 26-year-old. "I always said that Torres is not our aim for the future because we have trust in a lot of our young players," Ancelotti told reporters, adding: "We have fantastic strikers in Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, and we have Salomon Kalou, fantastic young players like Daniel Sturridge and Gael Kakuta... if everyone stays fit, we won't need anyone else. I think we have a fantastic squad."

According to German rag Express (not to be confused with its British namesake), Manchester City are looking to spend their way out of their current malaise, which has seen then suffer back-to-back Premier League defeats to Arsenal and Wolves. Apparently City intend to bring winger Renato Augusto to Eastlands to strengthen their existing overpaid and underperforming squad. The 22-year-old Brazilian is plying is trade with German outfit Bayer Leverkusen this season, though a gammy knee has sidelined him recently. Nonetheless it's alleged City are preparing a £17m offer for the player. The Express quotes Leverkusen's sporting director Rudi Voeller as saying: "This shows that we have a good team here in Leverkusen. However, we cannot compete financially with the big European clubs."

And the Daily Mirror claims that City are also pursuing Blackpool keeper Matty Gilks as they seek to find a long-term understudy for Joe Hart. That role is currently filled by Ireland shotstopper Shay Given but with him rumoured to be leaving in January's transfer window, City boss Roberto Mancini is already eyeing replacements. The Mirror says that Mancini has been to watch Gilks in action for Blackpool and with the keeper's contract set to expire next summer, the Tangerines are keen to cash in on him while they can.

Finally, Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis has dismissed as ludicrous reports suggesting Manchester United are about to pounce for Marek Hamsik and Edinson Cavani. If the rumours are to be believed United boss Alex Ferguson is about to loosen the purse strings as he looks to strengthen his squad but not as far as de Laurentiis is concerned. In an interview with Italian radio station Radio Marte he said: "I've read that Ferguson would like to buy Hamsik and Cavani for €40m (£35m) and I started to laugh.


Read more: http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/70966,sport,football,transfer-talk-arsenal-chase-the-german-messi-marko-marin-chelsea-not-interested-in-fernando-torres#ixzz14DFOmdhr

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Arsenal Chasing German Defenders Benedikt Hoewedes & Per Mertesacker - Reports

Benedikt Hoewedes has joined the growing list of German defenders linked with a move to Arsenal. According to widespread sources in England, Germany, Italy and Spain, the Gunners are interested in signing the Schalke centre-half, and could soon table a bid on the order of €9.1 million.

Hoewedes' current contract runs until 2014, but with Schalke struggling in both footballing and financial terms, the Gelsenkirchen outfit might jump at the opportunity to make some much needed cash.

Other reports suggest that Arsenal have renewed their interest in Werder Bremen centre-half Per Mertesacker, and are mulling over an offer of €16m for the Germany international.

Whether Schalke or Bremen are open to releasing their star defenders during the January transfer window is still in question, as is the players' interest in a move abroad. In addition to Hoewedes and Mertesacker, Arsenal have previously been linked with Stuttgart centre-half Serdar Tasci.

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'New Cesc Fabregas' Sergi Samper, 15, to spark Arsenal-Barcelona battle

Barcelona are set to face another transfer scrap with Arsenal, but this time the boot is on the other foot as the Gunners aim to snatch top-rated Sergi Samper - dubbed the 'next Cesc Fabregas' - from under the Catalan club's noses.
According to reports in Spain, Samper is holding out over a contract offer from Barca with Arsene Wenger tracking the wonderkid midfielder as he approaches his 16th birthday.

The saga could come to a head in January, with Arsenal rumoured to be considering making their official offer when the transfer window reopens.

And it has echoes of the situation that saw Fabregas, who is now Arsenal captain, turn his back on Barcelona to pursue a career in London at a similar age in 2003.

Samper is considered to be one of the 'next big things' in Spanish football, and could be offered a tempting four-year contract by the Premier League club as well as assurances of regular first-team football from a relatively young age.

And, according to Spanish sources, he is tempted to follow in the footsteps of Fabregas, who, after developing his skills in the Arsenal set-up, is now one of the world's most sought-after midfielders.

If Samper does move, it would be a bitter irony for Barca, who thought they'd won an ill-tempered tug of war over Fabregas in the summer before the Catalan-born 23-year-old opted to stay at the Emirates Stadium instead of moving back to La Liga.


Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/football/845045-new-cesc-fabregas-sergi-samper-to-spark-arsenal-barca-battle#ixzz13NGVWZdb

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Wenger: Eastlands Victory Just the Start for Arsenal

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes that yesterday's impressive 3-0 win away to ten-man Manchester City will ignite a realistic title challenge for his side. Speaking afterwards, he was understandably delighted with the fighting nature of the performance at the City of Manchester Stadium.

"It was important to get a win in a big place to strengthen belief and continue our march forward," said the 61 year-old.

"I think that collectively, we completely dominated the game and I hope it will translate into confident performances in later fixtures."

The home side had Dedryck Boyata sent off five minutes in after his clumsy challenge clearly denied striker Marouane Chamakh a goal-scoring opportunity and from then on, Roberto Mancini's charges were always underdogs.

A crisp passing movement mid-way through the first period saw Andrey Arshavin put Samir Nasri clear on the right and the Frenchman beat Joe Hart at the near post to net his fourth league effort of the season.

In a feisty contest, there was still time before the interval for Mark Clattenburg to hand out five bookings and for Hart to save a penalty from Cesc Fabregas.

City started brightly in the second half, and the Gunners' goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski was called upon to make some impressive saves, as the Pole looked to stake a claim for the starting berth even when Manuel Almunia returns from injury.

Having weathered the storm, two more typically well put together attacks saw Alex Song and substitute Nicklas Bendtner put some flattering gloss on the scoreline late on.

Following the win, that sees Arsenal move up to second in the Premier League table on goal difference, their boss continued to praise the concentration of his team.

"It looked to me from the bench that it was a sending off and the referee had no option," Wenger, who last week admitted to harbouring an interest in Bolton's Gary Cahill, went on. After the sending off it became electric and we got some yellow cards quite quickly. It was very important that we did not get a second yellow."

"I asked the players at half-time to focus on playing football and not just defending our advantage."

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Ryo Miyaichi 'set for Arsenal transfer' as Wenger beats rivals to wonderkid

The 17-year-old striker is to be offered a long-term deal at the Emirates Stadium after impressing on trial - as well as turning in some star performances for his country's Under-19s team recently.

Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is thought to have sent officials out to Japan to finalise the details of a deal with Miyaichi, which would be confirmed in January.

The teenager, who was also said to be on the radars of European giants AC Milan and Ajax, currently attends Chukyodai Chuyko High School.

But he would be eligible to move to England to continue his footballing education when he turns 18 in December.

Miyaichi, who played for Japan's Under-17s at the World Cup in Nigeria in 2009, is currently out injured with a broken leg but is expected to return to fitness before signing for the Gunners at the turn of the year.

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