Arsenal Transfer News: Latest William Carvalho, Alexandre Lacazette Rumours

Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly emerged as favourites to sign talented youngster William Carvalho, who has been talked about as a potential transfer target for Arsenal since last season.

The powerful midfielder reportedly has a release clause of £32 million, a fee the Gunners deem too high for his services. But per O Jogo (h/t Daily Express' Ben Jefferson), Les Parisiens are ready to approach Sporting with an offer that could reach as high as said fee with add-ons:

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Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United have all been credited with an interest in the versatile star, although a recent injury curtailed that somewhat. But none of that trio has been willing to meet the player's £32m release clause, which Sporting are insisting is met to trigger a departure.

Reports in Portugal suggest that PSG may be putting together a deal that they hope meets the requirements.

While the Ligue 1 giants remain reluctant to pay £32m up front, they hope an offer of £25m with a further £7m in add-ons will be sufficient, according to O Jogo.

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Carvalho was one of the biggest stars of the European Under-21 Championships this summer, once again highlighting his incredible potential. The 23-year-old defensive midfielder is widely regarded as one of the best young talents in all of football.

The Gunners were desperate for some muscle in midfield last season, which explained the link with Carvalho, but the recent emergence of Francis Coquelin means the Portugal international may no longer be a priority for manager Arsene Wenger.

Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe believes the club needs to make at least one more star signing in order to really contend for the Premier League title, and the club doesn't exactly boast great depth at the defensive midfielder position:

A potential move for Carvalho has been complicated by Coquelin's brilliant play since returning from loan. While you can never have too much quality in the centre of the park, the two can't really play together, and it's difficult to justify spending over £30 million on a player when you already have an established starter at the position.

If Carvalho were a clear upgrade over Coquelin, things might be different, but as explained by Sport Witness' Jan Hagen, the youngster's price tag may have more to do with his potential than his actual performances last season:

PSG were limited in their spending last season due to financial fair play restrictions, but as reported by the Daily Mirror's Liam Corless, those restrictions have recently been lifted. The French champions can afford to throw money at young players, and their fans are likely expecting them to after a year of moderate spending.

This is a move that would make sense for Les Parisiens, who can field Blaise Matuidi and develop Carvalho or let the youngster take over if he proves he's already better than the France international.

Things are a little more complicated for Arsenal, and while it's too early to count the Gunners out of the race for his signature, PSG certainly look like the favourites to land Carvalho at this point.

Lyon Rule Out Alexandre Lacazette Move―Again

Laurent Cipriani/Associated Press

Olympique Lyon traveled to London to face Arsenal in the 2015 Emirates Cup, and before the match, manager Hubert Fournier was asked the inevitable questions regarding the future of star striker Alexandre Lacazette.

The France international has been linked with moves to the Premier League after a wonderful season in Ligue 1, but Fournier once again ruled out a sale, via the Press Association and the Daily Mail's Mark Bryans:

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When asked where he saw Lacazette playing this season, Fournier said: “Olympique Lyonnais.”

“I haven't got much to say. He has said he wants to stay with us.

Of course some clubs are going to be attracted to the sort of player he is but he is under contract at Lyon and with all of the different competitions we have this season with the Champions League and the domestic French cups, we obviously want to keep him at the club.”

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The 24-year-old has been linked with Arsenal among a host of other top clubs, but from the moment the rumours surfaced, Lyon have stated he is not for sale. That hasn't stopped British media from speculating, however, with the likes of James Cambridge of the Daily Express even making assumptions on his Twitter history.

A move never seemed likely to begin with, however. The 2014-15 season was a huge breakout campaign for him, who almost doubled his Ligue 1 goals output from 15 to 27, per WhoScored, but he's still a developing player who finds himself in the perfect situation at Lyon.

Like so many young internationals, he faces a battle to make his national team's starting XI for Euro 2016, a task that will be much easier in the safe surroundings of the club he knows. A big tournament would see his transfer value rise exponentially, so on a financial level, it also makes sense to move next summer, as opposed to right now.

Not to mention Lyon have absolutely no interest in selling. The French club are almost ready to move into a brand-new stadium and will celebrate their return to the Champions League in 2015-16. Right now, they need their top stars more than ever.

Don't expect these rumours to disappear anytime soon, however. Lacazette is one of Europe's most exciting young strikers—even if he hardly showed it against Arsenal―and clubs can always use pure scorers. No matter how many times Lacazette and Lyon say a transfer won't happen, the same questions will be asked again and again.

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