Life is good at the Emirates these days.
Back-to-back FA Cup trophies, two straight summers of big-money signings in Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, and finally, an end to the Petr Cech saga have given the Gunners a solid foundation for the 2015-16 season. Yet they have been largely frustrated in their pursuit of Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, arguably the final piece of the puzzle, so they're turning to an oft-linked target: Sporting Lisbon's William Carvalho.
It feels like Arsenal have been connected to the 23-year-old for an eternity, with Manchester United also inquiring about the Portuguese U21 star (he was part of the team that just thrashed Germany 5-0 in the Euro U21 Championship semifinals). Yet he's still in Lisbon, seemingly waiting for the call. The Daily Star estimated he'll cost in the region of £20 million, which seems to be the going rate.
As for Schneiderlin? The same news outlet reckoned Manchester United have won that particular race and will pay a cool £25 million (£20 million, plus add-ons) for the young Frenchman's services.
Carvalho is exactly what Arsenal need: someone to take the pressure off young Francis Coquelin in that difficult and vital holding midfielder role. After all, some aggression and physicality are proven assets in the Premier League, especially with the Gunners' expensive coterie of creative midfielders such as Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla and (for now) Theo Walcott linking the attack. But will they get the business done, or will this mooted connection drag on all summer long?
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