Arsenal Unlikely To Battle Manchester United For £25m German Goalkeeper

Emirates boss unlikely to bid for Veltins Arena keeper and will leave him for his old foe at Old Trafford.

Arsene Wenger will look to solve Arsenal’s goalkeeping concerns by launching a summer move for Germany No 1 Manuel Neuer. The Gunners have been dogged by goalkeeping headaches in recent seasons and Wenger has earmarked the Schalke shot-stopper as the man he wants to bring stability to the problem position.

Arsenal have tracked Neuer for over a year and Sportsmail has learned Wenger contemplated a move last summer but opted to pursue Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina instead. Wenger has instructed the club’s European scouts to keep a close eye on Neuer’s progress this season with a view to a summer move and the Frenchman is finally preparing to firm up his interest after another season of inconsistency between the posts.

Source: Daily Mail

No chance, never going to happen, not on your nelly!

This is just not how Arsene Wenger goes about his business.

Wenger’s policy is to give youth a chance and after the emergence of Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski, plus with Vito Mannone to comeback the manager is not looking for a shot-stopper.

This may force some Gunner fans to pull their hair out but Wenger has constantly acted in this way.

When Patrick Vieira left he promoted Cesc Fabregas and after Ashley Cole he pushed Gael Clichy into left-back.

Monsieur Wenger did not do this on a whim but he gradually integrated them into his side.

Szczesny and Fabianski have proved this season they are worthwhile candidates to battle for the gloves in the long-term. And at 20 and 25 respectively they are the right age to do so.

Throw the 23-year-old Mannone into the mix and you can see why Wenger is not going to spend the £25million on Manuel Neuer that Schalke want.

He would not even spend £20million on Pepe Reina!

Wenger could be tempted to go for a more experienced shot-stopper and is keeping a close eye on Gianluigi Buffon’s contract problems at Juventus.

The Old Lady wants the 33-year-old to take a pay cut or he will be sold.

This is more tempting for Wenger, who has identified a centre-back and a holding midfielder as his transfer priorities for the summer.

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Chelsea and Man City Battle for AC Milan Veteran Midfield Maestro

Stamford Bridge and Eastlands sides chase Italian international.

Roberto Mancini is ready to battle Carlo Ancelotti to land AC Milan’s midfield ace Andrea Pirlo. The star is set to leave the San Siro on a free transfer, because Milan want him to accept a substantial pay-cut in exchange for a new deal as they try to trim their wage bill. Chelsea’s former Milan boss Ancelotti remains keen on the Italy playmaker after failing to land him last year and will try again – if he’s still in charge this summer.

Manchester City struggled for creativity when Adam Johnson was injured recently and manager Mancini feels Pirlo could bring a different dimension to his developing side. He is also attracted by his compatriot’s experience – Pirlo has won many top honours in the game, including the Champions League and World Cup. Mancini feels he needs seen-it-all operators such as Pirlo in his squad as he builds a title-winning team at Eastlands, especially as Patrick Vieira is widely expected to quit this summer.

SOURCE: Daily Mirror

It seems that Andrea Pirlo’s lengthy spell at the San Siro is set to come to an abrupt halt due to wage demands that the 31 year old Italian international is not willing to give in to. Therefore he is being presented with two options to significantly increase his bank balance as well as to forge a new era in his footballing career.

After almost a decade in the AC Milan first team there is little that Pirlo has not achieved and one can see why both Chelsea and Man City would want to sign the talented midfielder, regardless of the fact that he may only have a few years left in the tank.

To be fair Pirlo’s game has never been about speed so perhaps there is still much he can achieve. Chelsea however appear to be looking to deal with their ageing squad so not sure how this transfer would fit into those plans. Also taking into account Carlo Ancelotti has the likes of Michael Essien, Frank Lampard, Ramires and John Obi Mikel to squeeze into the centre of his midfield, one wonders where the AC man will fit?

Manchester City may have more need for Pirlo’s creativeness as they can appear quite brittle going forward and clearly Roberto Mancini will no alot about a player he has crossed swords with on a number of occasions.

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Aston Villa And West Ham Battle Over Liverpool Flop

Anfield club look to offload high-earner with Villa Park or Upton Park his most likely destination.

Aston Villa and West Ham United are leading the chase to buy Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole.

The 29-year-old moved to Anfield on a free transfer last summer but has struggled to adapt to life on Merseyside.

He has suffered injuries and a drop in form meaning he has not established himself in the starting line-up. Kenny Dalglish has opted to use the likes of Maxi and Dirk Kuyt out on the wings and this has led to even fewer first team opportunities than under Roy Hodgson.

Liverpool are willing to listen to offers for the England international to get him off the wage bill.

Cole is believed to be earning £90,000 a week and manager Kenny Dalglish wants to free up that money for a new signing.

Villa boss Gerrard Houllier would welcome the playmaker into his squad as he searches for a replacement for the Manchester United-bound Ashley Young.

The Frenchman sees Cole playing just off striker Darren Bent, a position that is sure to attract the former Chelsea player.

Cole could also make an emotional return to his boyhood club West Ham.

Manager Avram Grant is keen to work with him again after a brief spell together at Stamford Bridge.

Cole is still loved by the Hammers faithful and would welcome him back with open arms but any deal will depend on the Irons avoiding relegation.

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Arsenal and Bayern Munich begin the battle to sign Bolton's Gary Cahill

Arsenal and Bayern Munich have fired the starting gun for a scramble to sign £18million-rated England defender Gary Cahill after making a check on his form atOld Trafford on Saturday. Bolton manager Owen Coyle's recent admission that Cahill 'will outgrow this club and will go with my blessing' sent out a signal to the centre back's elite list of admirers, and Arsenal and Bayern were first to react by sending scouts to watch another commanding performance in a last-gasp 1-0 win for Manchester United.  Take your pick: Gary Cahill (right) has attracted a host of clubs Cahill, 25, is nearing the final year of his contract and there will be no shortage oftakers with United, Liverpool, Tottenham and Aston Villa also interested. Bolton may find a replacement in Real Mallorca defender Ivan Ramis, as they have joined Fulham, Celtic and Rangers in monitoring the 26-year-old.   Wenger tells Premier League to bring in simultaneous kick-offs for run-inEvans apologises to Holden as Bolton midfielder faces six months outAll the latest Bolton Wanderers news, features and opinion  Explore more:People: Gary Cahill, Owen Coyle Places: Liverpool

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