Tag: Porto

Arsenal prepare £20m+ transfer bid for Coquelin cover

If this latest Arsenal transfer rumour is true, and if Arsene Wenger does get his man once the January transfer window opens in around four weeks, then it could mean that the long term future of the club is secured. Because Ruben Neves, the Porto and Portugal international star that is apparently the Arsenal target to replace 24-year old Francis Coquelin, is just 18-years old.

Arsenal fans should not worry though, as the young defensive midfielder has shown maturity well beyond his age. In fact he has gone from playing for the Portugal under 17 side in last summer’s UEFA championship, through the under 21 side and into the senior side for whom he made his debut last month.

As well as his two full international caps, Neves has become a regular in the Porto first team and has even captained the side in a Champions League game, so The Mirror report claiming that the Gunners are ready to make a £22 million offer for him is not as crazy as you might think at first.

And when you read his write up on Wikipedia that describes his style of play as having great vision, passing and positional sense you start to see that he might be the typical Wenger signing. So is Coquelin set for some serious competition from this young Portuguese player?

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Arsenal hit by Liverpool hijack of striker transfer!

It looks like Arsene Wenger may have taken too long to firm up his interest in this transfer target and it could cost the Gunners a top class striker in Jackson Martinez. Last week it was being reported that the prolific Colombian international was happy and willing to complete a summer transfer to Arsenal and we just needed to agree to pay Porto the release clause of around £25 million.

But Wenger’s assertion that he is not in transfer mode yet could be true as Metro is now reporting that Porto have made contact with our Premier League rivals Liverpool and they are believed to be keen. For that money a striker that has score over 30 goals a season over the last three years would appear to be a real bargain, so I wonder if Arsenal will end up with egg on our face.

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Arsenal target striker drops HUGE hint on summer transfer

Arsenal fans may have had a much calmer January transfer window than normal but, with the form of Francis Coquelin, all the attacking options at the club, the easing of the injury crisis and the signing of the Brazilian centre back Gabriel Paulista, it was not a frustrating one for once.

However, the fans will expect some more action from Arsene Wenger in the summer. And with the money now available to the French coach, a few key signings will hopefully prepare the Gunners to finally mount a proper challenge for the Premier League title next season.

According to a report by The Independent, one of those could be the Porto and Colombian international striker Jackson Martinez. The 28-year old has been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal before and now he has dropped a massive hint that he is ready for the step up to the Premier League.

Martinez said, “Right now I only focus on doing my job with Porto, but I’m ready to make the leap in the next window.

“I have my head focused only on the work I’m doing at Porto at the moment and when the transfer window re-opens, we shall see what will happen.”

With 20 goals from 24 games already so far this season with his Portuguese club, the powerful centre forward will be of interest to some of the biggest clubs around Europe, but will Arsenal be one of them?

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Arsenal set for £60m double transfer swoop but NO defender!!

According to one of the latest Arsenal transfer rumours, Arsene Wenger is set to continue to splash the cash for the Gunners with a stunning £60 million transfer swoop for two players from the same team. But Arsenal fans may be a little concerned to hear that neither of the two transfer targets are defenders or defensive midfielders.

According to a Daily Star report, the two stars being lined up for a possible move to the Emirates are the Colombian internationals Jackson Martinez and Juan Fernando Quintero, both currently playing in Portugal for Porto. Arsenal have been linked with both before and it was even reported this summer that the play maker Quintero was on his way to London.

But the report also suggests that this double transfer may not be attempted until the end of the season, so Arsenal fans will be hoping that Wenger has already addressed the club’s defensive and central midfield issues by then.

21-year old Quintero is forging a great reputation for himself as a central attacking midfielder and his abilities, especially his close control and dribbling, have drawn comparisons with the great Lionel Messi. And as he plays with centre forward Martinez for club and country, the two are forging a great understanding, with many of the striker’s goals coming from great work by his young team mate.

Could these two Colombians soon be joining their international keeper David Ospina at Arsenal?

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Arsenal striker transfer at risk from £30m hijack bid

I was among the Arsenal fans who were not entirely convinced by one of the top transfer targets of the summer, Porto and Colombian international centre forward Jackson Martinez. It was looking like Arsene Wenger was going to finally firm up his interest, but that is now at serious risk after the Metro reported that Liverpool are plannong a £30 million transfer bid in January to beat Arsenal to the punch.

Martinez had never really showed that much when I saw him play and his World Cup finals in Brazil were not exactly impressive either, even though the absence of Radamel Falcao gave him a great chance to shine in a good team. But you cannot really argue with his scoring figures for Porto, with 31 from 40 games in his first season and 29 from 51 in his second.

And despite the striker being pretty clear about wanting to move to a bigger club than Porto in the summer, he has begun well again for his club this season, especially in the Champions League where his five goals in six games have helped Porto to take control of their group.

So if Wenger really is serious about signing the 28-year old, it looks like he is going to have some strong competition from a Premier League rival.

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Arsenal in 4-way transfer battle for Costa Rica keeper Navas

After his World Cup heroics in Brazil, Keylor Navas was always going to attract some interest in the transfer market. According to the Arsenal transfer rumours going around the media, the Gunners are one of the clubs that are now chasing the 27-year old Costa Rica star.

But even though Arsenal have the advantage of having one of his international team mates, Joel Campbell, already on the books, we are not going to have an easy ride if Arsene Wenger is intent on signing Navas as competition and cover for the Poland international Wojciech Szczesny, according to a report in The Mirror.

The paper claims that Arsenal are one of four big European clubs keen on the talented stopper, with Bayern Munich, FC Porto and Atletico Madrid being the other three. Two of those are clubs that are currently the champions of their respective countries, and Porto are always close to the top of the Portuguese league title.

The good news is that his current club, La Liga’s Valencia, want to get the deal done as soon as possible so they have plenty of time and money to find a replacement for him. However, with Courtois being recalled to Chelsea, I would have to say that Madrid looking at him as a guaranteed starter probably gives them the edge.

Do you think that Wenger should pull out the stops to sign the Costa Rica star?

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Colombia star ready to say YES to Arsenal after World Cup!!

It does not get much more emphatic than this, Arsenal fans. It appears that the only thing stopping the Colombia international Jackson Martinez from joining Arsenal this summer is for the Gunners to finalise an agreement with his Portuguese club Porto.

As a report in The Express reveals, the hot shot striker has told the media that he is well aware that the two clubs are in talks, although he also says that his agent is dealing with his affairs while he keeps all his focus on the World Cup finals in Brazil.

Colombia are going great guns, but face the home nation in their quarter-final on Friday night. If they are knocked out, then we might soon be hearing about the first Arsenal transfer of the summer, because Martinez has made no secret of his desire to leave Porto and now he has made it crystal clear where he wants to go as well, and that is the red side of north London.

Martinez said, “I know that there have been discussions, but still no agreements.

“My agent is taking care of my future, right now I’m at the World Cup and only after the World Cup I’ll evaluate proposals.

“As a child I cheered for Arsenal, they play a game that suits me. If I had the occasion to play there, I would say yes.”

The report also claims that Porto want to receive the full release clause amount of around £35 million as a transfer fee, but I do not think that Arsene Wenger will see it the same way, as the 27-year old striker has told his Porto bosses that he will not be signing a new contract with them. Knowing Wenger, he will probably start the bidding at around £10 million and this transfer saga could still drag on for a while.

Is Martinez the right choice to help Olivier Giroud up front?

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Is Colombia striker really the right transfer for Arsenal?

One of the latest Arsenal transfer rumours is about the rekindling of our interest in the Porto striker Jackson Martinez. The Gunners were linked with him last summer and in the January transfer window but it seemed that Arsene Wenger had moved on to other targets this summer.

This could be because the 27-year old did not enjoy quite as good a season with his Portuguese club as in his debut year, and also because of the well known fact that his release clause was around £35 million. Porto were adamant that they would not accept less as well, and for that money there may have been better options.

According to the Daily Star though, Arsenal are ready to make their move and have already opened talks with the striker’s club over a £25 million deal. Martinez has made it clear that he will not be extending his contract and so his value will keep shrinking, making them much more willing to negotiate.

But is he the right man for Arsenal? The Colombian has already scored two goals at the World Cup finals and has helped his country to reach the quarter-finals, but I am not sure he is the type of striker to take the Premier League by storm. His team mate James Rodriguez has been the real star, smashing five goals from midfield, so has Wenger got the wrong Colombian in his sights?

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Agent admits Arsenal are one of many clubs chasing Top striker!

As Arsenal begin to prepare for the start of the new Premier League season, there is a sense of optimism among the club’s supporters in regards to the North London side’s credentials in this summer transfer window. Whilst there are quite a few areas that need to be strengthened, there is no question that the most important is in attack, more specifically, a central striker.

There have been several reports in the last couple of days claiming that the former Arsenal man Carlos Vela is set to return for a second spell at the Emirates following a very successful two-year stint at Real Sociedad, although the young Mexican is more of a left winger these days. Whilst this is definitely something to be excited about, there is more good news for Arsenal fans.

If reports from various sections of the media are to be believed, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is working on a deal to bring FC Porto’s much-coveted hitman Jackson Martinez to London. The Frenchman is known to be a long-time admirer of the Columbian international who has himself claimed that a move to Arsenal would definitely interest him. Furthermore, Martinez’s agent, Peppino Tirri, has confirmed that Arsenal are indeed interested in his client, although he was quick to add that there will be competition.

Speaking to Corriere Giallorosso as reported by the Daily Star, he said: “I am waiting for Jackson Martinez’s manager, Henrique Pompeio, to arrive in Italy tonight for a series of transfer meetings we’ll have together. We’ve got meetings set up with numerous European clubs, as he is of interest to Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, Arsenal and Valencia, but also important Italian sides.”

The much sought-after striker is believed to have a £32 million release clause at Porto but with a goal-scoring record of 60 goals in 91 appearances for the Portuguesse side, few would think twice before splashing the cash. The 27-year-old boasts attributes of excellent hold-up play, great pace and a very clinical finish, something that the Gunners strike force seemed to lack last season.

While competition will most certainly be high, I believe that Wenger will get his man if he is keen enough. For someone who is looking to take his career to the next level, Arsenal appears to be the most tempting destination. And with the Columbian already stating his willingness to play for Arsenal, a big-money move from Wenger may well be on the cards.

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Arsenal’s interest in Porto’s Hulk brings the fee to £100m

Portuguese star striker Hulk has been one of Arsene Wenger’s top transfer targets for quite some time now, but the player’s agent Teodoro Fonseca snubs all interest coming from Arsenal saying that the club will only accept to let Hulk go if the gigantic release fee of £87 million is met.

A statement of Hulk’s agent for the newspaper A Bola read:

“Every year there are more clubs interest in Hulk and I am also aware that there are clubs from outside the Premier clubs interested.”

“This Arsenal rumour is news to me but it is true that there has been contact before but nothing happened.”

“But I speak often with Porto and the figures have not changed. He will only be sold if someone pays the £100m so this figure of £23m that has appeared would not be considered.”

It is well known that Arsene Wenger doesn’t like to spend big money on a player and that he prefers to buy a much younger and cheaper player instead of buying a fully established footballer.

Perhaps sometimes Wenger has to forget about his policy in order to bring in top quality players, but this time the transfer fee that Porto want for Hulk is outrageous. The striker is indeed a top class Brazilian footballer, but such transfer fees could only become a fair amount when it comes to Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi. Even if Porto will lower demands up to the £23 million, there is still much to think about for Wenger before spending that amount of money.

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