Arsenal round up: Ngumoha deal close, Tresoldi edge over Milan emerges
Arsenal's pursuit of attacking reinforcements continues to throw up fresh names, but one target looks set to slip away before January even arrives. Liverpool winger Rio Ngumoha, who had emerged as a possible option for the Gunners, is closing in on a new long term contract at Anfield.
According to FootballTransfers, Liverpool have no intention of selling the teenager and talks over an extension are progressing well. Speaking after Liverpool's 2-1 win over Brentford at the weekend, Ngumoha said it is all with his agent now. He added that discussions are going well, though he is not entirely sure of the details, and that his focus remains on his football rather than the contract talk.
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Tresoldi: Arsenal favourites ahead of Milan
There may be better news on the striker front. Arsenal are said to hold an advantage over AC Milan in the race to sign Club Brugge forward Nicolo Tresoldi, according to Italian journalist Carlo Pellegatti.
The 22 year old has impressed in Belgium and was already on Arsenal's radar last season. Interest is said to persist amid uncertainty over Viktor Gyokeres' long term future at the club.
Tresoldi grew up supporting Milan, but Pellegatti believes a move to the San Siro is unlikely. Brugge want north of €40 million for the Germany youth international, a fee Milan are reportedly unwilling to match having already spent €74m on Goncalo Ramos this summer. That financial reality, combined with the Premier League's pulling power, is said to make England the more realistic destination.
Mansson, Vinicius and Kroupi also in the mix
Further down the list of names linked with Arsenal is IFK Goteborg midfielder Oliver Mansson. The 17 year old has become a regular starter in Sweden this season, and his form has coincided with an upturn in results for the club. Speaking to Expressen, Mansson said he only found out about Arsenal's interest through social media and did not seem to place much weight on it. When pushed to pick between Arsenal, Chelsea or any other Premier League side, he could not choose, revealing instead that Barcelona are the club he dreams of playing for.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid's Yan Diomande turned in his best performance yet in Vinicius Jr's absence over the weekend, with the Brazilian serving a four match suspension in LaLiga. Vinicius has faced heavy criticism for his form this season, and manager Jose Mourinho admitted he would have forced a move away in the summer had he been in the forward's position. Arsenal were previously interested in Vinicius and could revisit that interest next year if his situation at the Bernabeu fails to improve.
Bournemouth's Eli Kroupi, who scored 13 goals in his debut Premier League season and was a summer target before injury and Bournemouth's reluctance to sell ended that interest, has been rated the most improved player in world football over the past six months by analytics firm SciSports. Only Real Madrid's Carlos Espi has developed as rapidly among players with a basic Premier League skill level, suggesting Kroupi could resurface as a name worth watching again in the future.
