Arsenal Transfer News: Rumours on Luiz Adriano, Aymeric Laporte, More

Arsenal have reportedly entered the Luiz Adriano sweepstakes, as rumours have emerged that the Gunners are set to battle Liverpool and Juventus for the Shakhtar Donetsk star.

The 27-year-old is widely expected to leave Ukraine at the end of the season and could come at a discount due to his contract expiring in 2016, setting off alarm bells at the Emirates, per Tuttosport (h/t Metro's Paul Gorst):

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Arsenal and Liverpool are reportedly set to enter into a three-way battle with Juventus to land Shakhtar Donetsk striker Luiz Adriano.

The Brazilian is currently top of the Champions League scoring charts after plundering nine goals in the group stages for the Ukrainian side, and his performances have attracted the interest of both the Gunners and the Reds.

Serie A champions, Juve, are also said to be monitoring the situation, and the 27-year-old could be available in a cut-price deal due to his contract expiring in January 2016, according to Tuttosport.

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Shakhtar obviously don't want to lose their star striker, but due to the current political situation and heavy fighting around the area of Donetsk, plenty of the club's foreign stars are expected to move this summer. Shakhtar couldn't host Bayern Munich in their last Champions League match.

Adriano is the current top scorer in the Champions League, scoring nine goals during the group stages, and as shared by OptaFranz, the prolific attacker managed to do so in just 10 shots, an incredible finishing percentage:

The Gunners don't have a desperate need for another attacker but could certainly use an upgrade in that area, and thanks to the Brazilian's expiring contract, he could be incredible value for money. Per Calciomercato.it, Liverpool are currently the favourites to land him, however:

Adriano is going to be among the hottest names on the transfer market at the end of the season, and expect more clubs to emerge as possible suitors. This could drive up the eventual transfer fee, but the Brazilian still looks like the potential steal of the summer.

One player widely expected to leave his current club who might be staying put after all is Athletic Bilbao's Aymeric Laporte. As reported by the Daily Star's Jonathan Green, he told AS he's more than happy with his current situation:

"Here there are many people of experience and I'm learning a lot from them. I have played a lot of games and I want to continue to do what I'm doing."

Laporte has been adamant all of the transfer talk isn't influencing his decision, as recently reported by football writer Pete O'Rourke:

The 20-year-old has quickly emerged as one of the world's most promising defenders in the past two years, leading the Athletic back four and making a strong push for a regular spot in the French national team.

He's a big, physical centre-back who displays a lot of quality with the ball at his feet, and for such a young player, his positioning is already excellent. Laporte has the look of a future star at the position, but given his young age, he might be making the right decision to continue his career in a familiar environment for now.

That won't stop clubs from pushing for his signature, however, and with the Basque club struggling in the 2014-15 season, the Frenchman might soon change his minds.

Finally, Metro's John Harvey reports the Gunners are ready to make Morgan Schneiderlin their No. 1 transfer priority in midfield after reports have emerged Barcelona are keen on adding Bayer Leverkusen's Lars Bender, despite their current transfer embargo.

The news the German is on the Catalans' radar shouldn't have a big impact on Arsenal's transfer strategy right now. Barcelona can't register any new players until 2016, and Schneiderlin has been linked with a move to the Emirates for months. Bleacher Report's James McNicholas addressed the rumours just this week:

Bender also occupies a part of the field where the Blaugrana currently field star midfielder and local hero Sergio Busquets, with promising youngster Sergi Samper set to join the senior squad as early as next season. The club has little reason to invest in Bender, whose performances have somewhat dropped in 2014-15.

Schneiderlin remains the best fit for the Gunners thanks to his Premier League experience and high floor. The France international is a proven commodity and an ideal fit for Arsene Wenger's fluent system, so expect the Gunners to keep looking at the Southampton man first and foremost.

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