Arsenal Transfer News: Latest on Jamie Vardy and Moussa Dembele Rumours

Arsenal will reportedly receive news of whether their pursuit of Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy will be successful “very soon.”

That’s according to Foxes chief Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, who also stated he is confident the 29-year-old striker will stay with the Premier League champions. 

“You will see the news very soon,” he said, per Kieran Gill of the MailOnline. “But I think he will stay. I think, so let’s see. We need to build the team. We keep continuing to believe that we can do something special in the Premier League and the Champions League.”

Bleacher Report’s Dean Jones also recently reported the striker is edging toward staying with his current employers:

As noted in the piece, Arsenal triggered Vardy’s release clause of £20 million recently and have offered him a lucrative contract worth in excess of £100,000 a week. The striker is said to be set to make a final decision after the conclusion of the 2016 UEFA European Championship.

It’s a tournament England striker Vardy made his mark in when introduced as a second-half substitute against Wales on Thursday; his goal triggered a memorable comeback, with the Three Lions running out 2-1 winners.

As noted by Squawka Football, following 24 Premier League goals in 2015-16, the Foxes frontman is showing his class on the international stage too:

If Arsenal were to land Vardy, it would be intriguing to see just what tweaks manager Arsene Wenger would make as a result. After all, to get the best out of the forward, you need to be willing to get the ball into the channels quickly, meaning the style is often imprecise. It’s a style that’s at odds with the recent Gunners way.

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For Vardy, the decision will be difficult. Staying at Leicester and leading them into the Champions League would be thrilling for the striker and a show of loyalty to the club that gave him a chance to shine at the elite level. However, if he turns down a move to Arsenal, a chance to join a juggernaut of the English game may not come around again.

Arsenal Join Moussa Dembele Race

According to Peter O’Rourke of ESPN FC, Arsenal will compete with rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Liverpool in an attempt to secure the signing of Fulham youngster Moussa Dembele.

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The 19-year-old’s deal with the Cottagers is set to expire at the end of June, meaning he’ll be a free agent and able to make his own decision on his next club. O’Rourke noted Wenger is on the hunt for more options in the final third, with the signing of Vardy far from certain and Danny Welbeck set to miss most of next season with an injury.

Everton striker Arouna Kone admitted he was impressed by the young Fulham striker earlier in the year:

Despite his tender years, Dembele has been impressive in the Championship, a division that’s renowned for its physicality and intensity. Last term, he grabbed 15 goals and seven assists in the division, striking up a brilliant partnership with Ross McCormack at the point of the attack. He’s a young man who certainly looks ready for a step up.

Arsenal wouldn’t be able to give Dembele regular first-team football, as he’s not quite as refined as someone like Olivier Giroud. Late in games, he could be introduced to get at tiring defences, but the teenager would likely be concerned at going from being a key man at Fulham to a bit-part player elsewhere.