Gonzalo Higuain
Gonzalo Higuain's future may be undecided for some time yet. Reuters

Arsenal are close to the signing of Gonzalo Higuain, with Juventus struggling to meet the Real Madrid striker’s valuation, according to the player’s brother and agent. Both clubs are thought to have provisionally agreed personal terms with Higuain, with just a transfer fee now to be agreed with Madrid.

However, with Juventus poised to complete the signing of Manchester City forward Carlos Tevez, Higuain now appears to be heading Arsenal’s way, at least according to brother Nicolas.

“Gonzalo is close to Arsenal,” he told Todomercadoweb. “With Tevez going to Juventus, my brother is closer to Arsenal. Juventus is a great club, but Gonzalo is too expensive for them. Napoli? A strong team that means a lot for Argentines. Having said that, I cannot deny that Gonzalo is now thinking about Arsenal.”

A transfer could be imminent too with Madrid having finally appointed a new manager in Carlo Ancelotti, who can now sign off on the deal. As well as becoming Arsenal’s record signing, Higuain would also be the club’s highest earner – on around £125,000 a week, according to the Independent – if he were to join.

Arsenal may also still be in the running to sign Celtic midfielder Victor Wanyama. The powerful Kenyan has long been linked with the Gunners, but he appeared set for a move to Southampton after the Scottish champions accepted a fee of around £12 million. However, Wanyama’s representative has reacted angrily to Celtic disclosing that information when, as he claims, the player was never close to joining the Premier League outfit having been some way apart when discussing personal terms.

"The player will not be forced into a corner to accept the Southampton deal, just because it is good for Celtic,” Ivan Modia told Sky Sports. “Remember, he has been with the club for two years now -- without a pay rise -- and has given them wonderful service ever since he arrived.”

And Modia was also quick to point out that there are plenty of other clubs looking to secure Wanyama’s signature.

"We know there is interest from elsewhere and Victor is obviously open to those prospects -- he is currently back in Kenya and hopes that Celtic will adopt a more reasonable approach and take into account the service that he has given the club so far and the rest of these issues,” he added.

Meanwhile, TalkSport believes that Arsenal are one of the clubs to be alerted by revelations that Barcelona want to send their highly rated youngster Gerard Deulofeu on loan for next season. The 19-year-old impressed for Barcelona’s B side last campaign and is also garnering attention for his performances for Spain in the Under-20 World Cup, but is unlikely to earn regular playing time at the Camp Nou in the coming months. The wide forward is also thought to be interesting Liverpool and Tottenham.

There has been some concern that, on that back of an impressive end to the season, Laurent Koscielny could be tempted by a move away this summer, with Barcelona rumored to be interested. However, the France international revealed that he is happy at the Emirates and looking forward to again testing himself in the Champions League.

“I have a four-year contract,” he said, according to the Sun. “For now, I’m still at Arsenal. It is super exciting to play the best sides in Europe.”

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