Arsenal Transfer News: William Carvalho Rumours, Jack Wilshere Contract Latest

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is reportedly keen to strike a deal for Sporting CP midfielder William Carvalho ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

According to A Bola (h/t Annie Eaves of Sport Witness), the Gunners are keen to "reserve" a Carvalho transfer before he represents Portugal in Russia next summer. Wenger, noted as the figure driving this deal, is said to want a pre-agreement in place.

Additionally, it's said the Gunners face competition from Tianjin Quanjian for Carvalho, who is said to be valued at €40 million (£32.5 million). The Chinese Super League side are reportedly also ready to pay a massive salary to land the 25-year-old.

Eaves said during the summer there were strong links between West Ham and Carvalho, with the player seemingly keen to make the switch to English football's top flight.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

In the end, a deal didn't materialise and if a club like Arsenal were to show genuine interest, then the midfielder would be delighted. Gunners supporters potentially would be too; as we can see here, Carvalho can be a force of nature in midfield:

That presence is something Arsenal continue to lack, with a duo of Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka regularly looking flimsy against the stronger outfits.

Carvalho has shown in the UEFA Champions League and in the 2016 UEFA European Championship—when he helped Portugal to glory—that he can thrive at the top level. His ability to win the ball back, move forward and knit play together makes him so tough to halt at his best.

There are concerns about some areas of his game that require refinement; potentially that's why no juggernaut of European football has made a major move for him yet. Even so, if Arsenal could get him for the sum aforementioned, Carvalho would potentially be a fine capture.

Arsene Wenger Talks Jack Wilshere Contract

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted the club will seek to open contract talks with Jack Wilshere at the end of December.

The midfielder's deal is set to run out at the end of the campaign and he suggested recently that no progress had been made regarding an extension, per David Hynter of the Guardian. However, Wenger said the intention is there to get a new deal sorted.

"I will talk to him," said the Frenchman, per Sky Sports. "I said [I would] at the end of December. We are at the beginning of December so it's true that it's not far, but I wanted to see as well how much he can contribute and how he will last physically."

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

Wilshere made his first Premier League start of the season against West Ham United on Wednesday and was impressive in a 0-0 draw. Football365's Daniel Story wants to see more of the midfielder:

The campaign feels like an important one in the career of the 25-year-old, as injuries have prevented him from building any kind of momentum in an Arsenal shirt.

While there have been some encouraging signs as of late, a new long-term deal with the Gunners would be a massive show of faith in Wilshere. Should he sign, there'd be so many associated with the club desperate to see him do well.