Arsenal prepare £70m swoop for Portuguese duo

As July is underway, Arsenal fans will be liking the sounds of their summer targets so far as its only likely to get better.

The Metro have reported that the Gunners are lining up a £70million bid for Sporting Lisbon pair Gelson Martins and William Carvalho.
After last season’s disappointment, Arsene Wenger is desperately trying to fix his Arsenal side, having already signed Bosnian left-back Sead Kolasinac and according to reports close to bagging Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette in the next few days.

So what would the Portuguese pair add to Arsenal?
Well last season, 22-year-old winger Gelson Martins netted seven goals and 14 assists for Sporting in all competitions. Martins can also operate as a wing-back so Arsenal may look to continue their successful experiment with the 3-4-3 formation.

The other player, defensive midfielder William Carvalho, has been rumoured with a move away from Portugal for a number of years now. He’s a top talent and at the age of 25, he’s already bagged himself 37 international caps. The current vice-captain of Sporting could be a real dominant force in midfield as he sits back and helps the defence massively with his impressive interception rate.

However, Arsenal will not be the only team to target this pair as its been reported Liverpool submitted a £44million offer for Martins although they have now completed the transfer of ex-Chelsea winger Mohamed Salah, meaning the Reds may not press ahead with a move for Martins. It would likely take a club-record bid from Arsenal to secure the exciting forward.
We will soon see whether Arsenal can bag the Sporting duo but its safe to say the transfer window is looking very promising for the Gunners.