Arsenal Transfer News: Jovetic, Higuain And Cabella Linked With Gunners; Vermaelen Heading For Exit?

It appears increasingly unlikely that Fiorentina forward Stevan Jovetic will be joining Arsenal this summer. The Montenegrin has long been reported to be the Gunners’ top transfer target this summer, yet the Italian side revealed on Wednesday that they have received no approach from the Premier League outfit. Now, Jovetic’s agent Fali Ramadani has revealed that the player wants to remain in Italy,

"Stevan would prefer to remain in Serie A rather than moving to a new country," he told website Novosti. Those comments suggest that the 23-year-old will be heading to Italian champions Juventus, who have been heavily linked with a move. Fiorentina have not ruled out transferring the player to their Serie A rivals. Reports in Britain, however, continue to insist that Arsenal’s interest extends to them being dissuaded by Fiorentina’s quoting of a £30 million price tag for Jovetic.

With Fiorentina having missed out on Champions League qualification, their manager Vincenzo Montella -- who may also leave the club -- has said that it will be hard to hang onto Jovetic. “Jovetic is a player with great talent and he could have different ambitions, so I think that, as president [Andrea] Della Valle said, he may be sold if we receive a good offer,” he said, according to Tuttosport. “I’m aware of this.”

Jovetic’s situation also appears to be linked with that of Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain. The Argentina international has also been widely linked to the Gunners as a potential alternative to Jovetic, with some reports claiming that contact has already been made between the clubs over a transfer. Madrid have already revealed that Higuain can leave the club this summer.

Yet, there is now strong talk that the 25-year-old is close to a move to Juventus. Indeed, leading Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Higuain’s agent has reached an agreement over a deal with the Turin club’s chief executive Giuseppe Marotta. There remains the matter of the two clubs agreeing terms and they still appear some way apart with Juventus offering €22 million (£18.8m) and Madrid said to be holding out for €30 million (£25.7m).

While the Premier League season has just ended, it appears that Arsenal will have to act fast if they are to make the most of the increased transfer finds at their disposal this summer. And Arsenal may have their work cut out if they are to land long-time reported target Remy Cabella. The attacking midfielder came to prominence as a member of the Montpellier side that won the club’s first ever Ligue 1 title in 2012, but the success has not been repeated this campaign with the team lying in midtable.

There have been reports that Cabella could move on this summer, with Arsenal likely to be interested, but Montpellier’s outspoken president Louis Nicollin has claimed that the 23-year-old is not for sale. "He is non-transferable," he said, reports Sky Sports. “We try to anticipate and plan things, even in football, but it's complicated. The desire of the club is to keep Remy -- he was told and knows this. If a club arrives and offers €100million (£85.7m), it will be discussed though."

It remains to be seen whether Nicollin’s comments can be taken with more than a pinch of salt. Arsenal did, of course, sign Olivier Giroud from Montpellier last summer. Meanwhile, there have been widespread reports on Thursday that club captain Thomas Vermaelen will leave the Emirates this summer. The Belgium international has started just once for Arsenal since being dropped following a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham in early March. The Daily Mirror claims that Wenger could be prepared to listen to offers for the 27-year-old, with Manchester United and Barcelona said to be interested.

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