Arsenal Transfer News: Double Paulo Dybala Setback, Latest Sami Khedira Rumours

Palermo ace Paulo Dybala has suggested he wants to remain in Italy at the end of the season, according to David Amoyal, writer on behalf of Sky Italia's Gianluca Di Marzio.

This could be a major blow for Arsenal, who continue to be linked with a move for the Argentinian striker. Amoyal provided the details:

"

In the last few hours, Dybala's entourage has told Palermo president Zamparini that the striker wants to stay in Serie A. At the moment Juventus is the favorite to land him, they have initiated contacts for him which puts them ahead of Inter, Napoli and Roma. Dybala will be a big name this summer, but at moment it appears he wants to stay in Italy.

"

Alessandro Fucarini/Associated Press

Arsene Wenger's hopes of luring the prolific 21-year-old—who has scored 12 and assisted seven in 26 Serie A performances this season, per WhoScored.com—have also been dampened by Palermo club president Maurizio Zamparini. 

The talkative chief suggests his previously outlined valuation of Dybala may be too low. He also indicated Palermo are trying to build around such quality, as reported by TGR Sicilia (h/t Bruce Archer of the Express):

"

There are Italian and foreign teams in for him. The price? I’ve said €40m, but it could be more. We want to improve on this season, we’ll bring in both young players and more experienced players, but they’ll all have quality. (Scout Manuel) Gerolin is in South America compiling a list of players.

"

Palermo previously suggested they had received an offer for Dybala, tweeted by Football Italia:

Sport Witness provided comment in light of Zamparini's latest quotes:

Amoyal suggested Dybala may be ready to learn from other players' experiences of a difficult transition to the Premier League:

Dybala is an agile creative force whose technical ability could allow him to shine in England. His qualities are highlighted below:

While Wenger's search for a clinical youngster continues, he is also said to be keeping tabs on Real Madrid's Sami Khedira, as reported by Paul Gorst of the Mirror.

Although Schalke have appeared most likely to lure him away from the Bernabeu on a free transfer, German legend Franz Beckenbauer has told clubs to steer clear of the often-injured midfielder.

"In his current physical shape Khedira would not help any team forward," said Beckenbauer, per Sky (h/t Stefan Coerts of Goal.com). "He is missing something in each aspect of the game at the moment. His ability to keep on running in midfield was key to his game. He does not add much without that."

David Ramos/Getty Images

Considering Arsenal's extensive injury problems, both past and present, avoiding Khedira may be the safest option for Wenger. He has seen the likes of Mathieu Debuchy, Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud miss significant time this season in an all too regular occurrence of injuries for the club.

Khedira is a world-class player when fit, but he hasn't enjoyed a consistent run of health since helping Germany to the 2014 World Cup title. He is able to stride out of midfield, provide a shielding presence for the defence and cleverly spread play when working to his full potential. Beckenbauer's assertions will play on the minds of many when he eventually leaves Madrid, though.

B/R UK's James McNicholas suggests Arsenal could sell Mesut Ozil and spend big, instead of grabbing Khedira on a free:

Arsenal are just one point behind second place Manchester City with nine matches remaining in the Premier League. The side also have an FA Cup semi-final against Reading to look forward to, and they are tasked with overturning a 3-1 Champions League deficit in the round-of-16 second-leg tie with Monaco on Tuesday. Silverware remains possible, but Wenger needs additional squad depth to push on next year.

The Gunners could be accused of moving sideways rather than progressing forward over the last few seasons, something the French boss must address with his summer acquisitions.