Arsenal Transfer News: Fresh Julian Draxler, Petr Cech, William Carvalho Rumours

Arsenal fans have no doubt been looking forward to speculation suggesting the club will move for Schalke starlet Julian Draxler.

This story was a feature of the 2014 January transfer window, per David Hytner of the Guardian. The rumour has now resurfaced, courtesy of Ben Jefferson of the Express, who cites reports in Italy. Jefferson reports that the Gunners will launch a £30 million bid to see off the interest of Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea.

Draxler's injury problems and consequent loss of form have seen his hype subside, but he remains one of Europe's best young players. The attacking midfielder has an air of grace about his game.

He retains possession well, is powerful enough to burst beyond opponents and loves to play a forward-thinking pass. He has scored twice in 12 appearances this campaign, per Soccerway, but he can look forward to enjoying a more positive 2015-16 season. The player's qualities can be seen below:

If Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is interested, the summer might be the time to knock a few quid off Draxler's price tag. 

Gunners Back in for Carvalho?

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Another familiar link has also reared its head, with Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho linked to the club by Darren Lewis of the Mirror. Similar to Draxler's timeline, Carvalho was touted for an Emirates Stadium move last year, reported by the Daily Star (h/t Telegraph Sport), before hitting a less-than-satisfactory run of form.

Lewis believes Wenger could use unneeded forward Joel Campbell to help swing a deal. It is suggested that although Sporting's price tag once stood at £35 million, the Portuguese club would now let their defensive midfielder leave for £21.5 million.

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Campbell appears destined to never receive a proper opportunity in the Arsenal first team, having been loaned out for the latter half of this season.

He hasn't scored or assisted a goal in 12 La Liga matches for Villarreal, per WhoScored.com, but he showed his quality during last year's loan spell with Olympiacos and throughout the World Cup with Costa Rica.

Wilkins: Mourinho Won't Sell Cech to Premier League Club

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Away from tired links, Arsenal fans will be keeping tabs on speculation linking Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech to the club, per Matt Law of the Telegraph (h/t Sky Sports).

He is surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge—where Thibaut Courtois' dominance is well and truly asserted—but former Blues coach Ray Wilkins doesn't believe manager Jose Mourinho will let the Czech stopper join Arsenal.

Wilkins spoke to talkSPORT (h/t Jacob Murtagh of the Mirror):

"

If you look at Chelsea’s actions over the last few years, with the likes of Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou, they were all sold outside the country so they couldn’t do any damage to the club in the Premier League. Jose Mourinho will do the same with Petr Cech.

"

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Mourinho and Wenger aren't the best of friends, highlighted in their verbal jabbing after their sides' recent 0-0 draw, per BBC Sport, so this could provide a further complication for the north London side.

Wenger's team are enjoying a 10-game unbeaten run and will be confident of finishing second in the Premier League. They are on equal points with Manchester City but possess a game in hand, and they will be hoping to further challenge Mourinho's side next season. The capture of Draxler, Carvalho and Cech could go a long way to aiding this task.