Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has set his sights on pursuing Sporting duo William Carvalho and Gelson Martins this summer. The Gunners are already close to securing a deal to sign Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette.
The north London giants have stepped up their interest in their summer targets with Wenger keen to rebuild his squad ahead of a strong title challenge next season.
Sead Kolasinac is, for now, the club’s solitary signing of the transfer window, but they could be some major additions in the coming weeks with Lacazette, in particular, due to arrive on a club-record deal.
According to A Bola h/t The Mirror, Wenger has his eye on £70m Portuguese pair Carvalho and Martins, who both ply their trade for Primeira Liga club Sporting. The Gunners are expected to complete Lacazette signing in the next few days and it seems the French boss is planning some more additions.
Carvalho has been associated with a switch to the Emirates overs the past four seasons, but the player has previously snubbed transfer interest in order to realise his ambition of lifting the Portuguese title.
The Portugal enforcer looks set to finally pursue a fresh challenge elsewhere, and it is not surprising that the Gunners are on the list with Wenger a huge admirer of the midfield anchorman.
The Euro 2016 winner could be seen as a potential replacement for Santi Cazorla whose Gunners career is most likely over following two injury-hit seasons of late.
Meanwhile, Carvalho’s compatriot Martins hit his heights during the previous campaign where he bagged six goals and assisted a further eight in the Portuguese top-flight.
He had recently attracted interest from Gunners’ rivals Liverpool, but the signing of Mohamed Salah has seemingly ended their pursuit of the attacker.
With Alexis Sanchez still uncertain over his future, Wenger is said to regard Martins as a potential replacement following his breakout season last term.
As per A Bola, Arsenal could table a combined sum of around £70m to sign the Portuguese pair as they seek to add more options to overcome the tight schedule involving the Europa League next season.
