Arsenal Transfer News: Latest on Theo Walcott and Petr Cech Rumours

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that contract talks are underway between the club and Theo Walcott, reaffirming his desire to keep hold of the England winger.

Reports have linked the 26-year-old speedster with moves to Liverpool and Manchester United as of late, per Jamie Sanderson of Metro, but the Frenchman, speaking with beIN Sports (h/t Charlie Doris of the London Evening Standard) has confirmed that negotiations between player and club have started.

"We start to negotiate with Theo to extend his contract," said Wenger. "Personally I would like to keep him."

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It seems as though the Gunners have got the wheels in motion pretty quickly on this after the former Southampton man posted the following message on social media on Thursday:

Walcott has been out of the main frame at Arsenal for a while now. He suffered a season-ending injury in the infancy of 2014, and while he has returned to the squad, the Gunners’ current form has seen opportunities hard to come by for the England man. Indeed, it’s an area of the pitch in which the north Londoners have plenty of competition for places.

As noted by John Cross of the Mirror, it seems as though the winger is keen to get some reassurances regarding regular first-team football as part of his new deal:

Sadly for Walcott, it doesn’t look as though that’s going to be forthcoming any time soon. With players like Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Tomas Rosicky all vying for a spot in the attacking triumvirate behind Olivier Giroud, the England man is currently well down in the pecking order.

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With that in mind, perhaps a move away from the Emirates wouldn’t be the worst career decision for the player.

United and Liverpool are both illustrious clubs and, on the face of things, have room within their squads to accommodate more minutes in the first team for Walcott. If that’s a deal-breaker for Arsenal man, you suspect he could well be on his way eventually.

Arsenal Leading Race for Petr Cech

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The Gunners are apparently in the box seat to sign the Chelsea goalkeeper, with Roma set to be their biggest threat to landing the Czech Republic international. That’s according to Matt Law of The Telegraph who claims that the 32-year-old will be available for a fee of around £10 million.

Law explained the situation regarding the 'keeper’s future and it’s certainly sounding encouraging for those associated with the Emirates outfit:

"

Cech and his family are settled in London and Arsenal believe the offer of Champions League football and the chance to win more trophies in England will be appealing to the Czech Republic international.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is ready to reward Cech’s 11 years of service by allowing him to choose his next destination, as long as clubs match their valuation.

"

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Cech has been a magnificent servant to Chelsea. Mourinho helped him cement his stature as a world-class goalkeeper during his first stint at the club, and while a flurry of managers have come in and out of the Stamford Bridge door since, Cech has remained between the sticks and been a perpetual pillar of consistency.

The 'keeper is blue through and through, but even he admitted recently that he can’t be sitting on the bench behind Thibaut Courtois in the pecking order for much longer, per 101 Great Goals:

For Arsenal, Cech would be a magnificent capture. While David Ospina has done a decent job in replacing the out-of-favour Wojciech Szczesny at the Emirates, the Chelsea man is a class above both goalkeepers and will remain so for quite a while yet.

There are other admirable traits that will surely enamour Cech to Wenger as well. His organisation and leadership skills would be welcomed in a facet of the squad that has been a little misguided at times.

Plus having sampled Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League glory during his spell at Stamford Bridge, Cech boasts a winning mentality that would enrich this Arsenal team.