Arsenal transfer rumours and news: Goncalo Guedes linked, Isco set for exit, Inaki Williams move off

Who's been linked with a move to the Emirates today?

Mark Critchley
Friday 22 January 2016 09:28 GMT
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Benfica midfielder Goncalo Guedes
Benfica midfielder Goncalo Guedes (Getty Images)

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Who is Goncalo Guedes? Well, he’s the name linked with Arsenal by just about every news outlet this morning.

According to the Daily Mirror, Benfica’s young winger was watched by club scout Luis Boa Morte during his side’s meeting with Oriental Lisboa in the Taça de Portugal on Tuesday night.

The 19-year-old winger has been described as the ‘new Cristiano Ronaldo’ since becoming the youngest Portuguese goalscorer in the Champions League group stage earlier this season and the Águias would want a hefty fee for his services, potentially in the range of £45million.

Staying on the Iberian peninsula, Real Madrid are happy to let attacking midfielder Isco leave the Santiago Bernabeu.

The 23-year-old has been consistently linked with a move to the Emirates, having endured a tough time under former manager Rafael Benitez.

Isco has been afforded more playing time since Zinedine Zidane’s appointment but no one, bar Gareth Bale, is safe from the chop, according to Spanish newspaper El Confidencial.

Elsewhere, Athletic Bilbao have tied Gunners target Inaki Williams down to a new five-year contract, which increases the player’s release clause to £38.2million.

The forward, who had also attracted interest from Liverpool, has notched 10 times in 23 appearances for the Basque outfit this season.

Despite being regularly linked with a switch to the Premier League this month, Williams’ new deal now makes any move highly unlikely.

In any case, Arsenal supporters desperate for fresh additions may find themselves disappointed.

Arsene Wenger did not rule out a new signing this month completely yesterday but suggested that there will not be much business done at the Emirates in the window’s closing stages.

"You will certainly have some work to do in the next ten days, not especially with Arsenal but with other clubs," he told reporters ahead of this weekend’s visit of Chelsea.

"We are always open to an exceptional opportunity we can take for the long-term. But I expect our last ten days to be quiet at the moment."

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