AW is set to miss out on supposed target Marouane Chamakh with Liverpool seemingly leading the race for the striker’s signature. That’s according to the Daily Mail this morning, anyway, who report that Mickey Mousers are confident of seeing off fierce competition for Chamakh and agreeing a deal to sign him on a free transfer at the end of the season.
The tabloid says Bordeaux’s Morocco striker has confided to friends that he sees his future in England, when his contract runs out in the summer, and talks have already taken place over making Anfield his new home.
The story that just won’t go away resurfaces again today in the Sun, who says that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez’s bid to prise Cesc Fabregas away from us has been dubbed ‘Operation Cesc’ in Spain.
The paper reckons Perez and his director general Jorge Valdano have held summit talks over a £43million summer bid for the midfield ace – and how they can knock deadly rivals Barcelona out of the running.
We are supposedly desperate to hang on to our captain but might be willing to talk if Real’s £25m-rated striker Gonzalo Higuain is thrown into the bargain. Against that, Barca hope to weigh in with a straight £40m bid.
If that fails, says the redtop, an alternative is to offer unsettled Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure, brother of former Gunners defender Kolo, plus £30m.
Barca president Joan Laporta has already promised “to fight for the kid” who played for the club as a teenager. A Real insider revealed: “The price demanded is £43m and that is what we are basing our calculations on. This is ‘Operation Cesc’, which we hope will prove a blow to Barcelona.”
Can’t see this happening but the Mirror report this morning that Sol Campbell is set for a ‘remarkable comeback with Arsenal’. The paper says AW will offer Campbell a short term deal until the end of the season – as long as he can offload Philippe Senderos.
Campbell has been training with Arsenal since quitting Notts County after his summer move to the League Two club turned sour. Wenger has been hugely impressed with the former England defender and is ready to do something he has done before – re-sign a former player.
Campbell, 35, has proved his fitness, determination and desire in the past two months while training with Arsenal. The paper says AW believes he will be a perfect signing as cover for Thomas Vermaelen and William Gallas.
Campbell is a free agent and is ready to delay a decision on other offers – including a contract from Hull – in the hope Arsenal will give him a deal and an unlikely second chance at the Premier League and a title shot.
And the Daily Star agrees that Senderos, 24, has fallen out of favour with AW, having spent all last season on loan at AC Milan and only featuring twice for the Gunners this season – with the kids in the Carling Cup.
Everton – who failed with a £3m bid for Senderos in the summer – Blackburn, and Bayern Munich are all interested in him.
A Campbell return would make him the first player to be re-signed by Wenger in 14 seasons at the club.
The paper says AW dropped a massive hint about his intentions recently when he said: “At the moment, we have four centre-backs and we will always have four.
“If one would go, then I would consider it (signing Campbell), but at the moment we are four, so I have no need to sign anybody. I love Sol Campbell and the fact he came back here and wanted to practice with us shows he loves the club as well. You never say never in these situations.”
And last night chairman Peter Hill-Wood said: “Arsene doesn’t talk to me about these things, but I know he has always liked Sol so I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened.”
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