SUMMER TRANSFERS - Your thoughts on who did and did not sign

[Red Gunner]

Liverpool hold talks with Luis Suárez's agent after rejecting Arsenal bid

Luis Suárez's agent, Pere Guardiola, has held further talks over the striker's future with Liverpool after Arsenal had a £30m offer rejected for the Uruguay international.

The player's representative travelled to Merseyside on Monday to seek clarification on Liverpool's position regarding their leading striker from the manager, Brendan Rodgers, and the chief executive, Ian Ayre. Despite interest from Real Madrid, Suárez's preferred destination should he leave Anfield, there was no suggestion from Guardiola that his client has a move in the pipeline during the planned and amicable meeting. Nor did he submit a transfer request on behalf of a player who has spoken repeatedly of his disillusionment with life in England and its media.

Liverpool remain adamant that Suárez is not for sale and any suitor would have to offer over £50m to tempt the club into selling their prized asset. That resolve may harden with their leading transfer target for the summer, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, close to joining the Champions League runners-up Borussia Dortmund from Shakhtar Donetsk and they gave no consideration to Arsenal's audacious attempt to entice Suárez to the Emirates Stadium.

The £30m approach was rejected out of hand by Liverpool, who would also be loth to sell the 26-year-old to a Premier League rival. Suárez has three years remaining on his contract and Arsenal's inquiry may have been a tactic to show Real Madrid they have more transfer targets than the Argentina forward Gonzalo Higuaín.

Arsenal's long-standing pursuit of their principal target has been further frustrated after it emerged Madrid still hope to convince the striker he has a future at the Bernabéu. Carlo Ancelotti intends to speak with Higuaín next Monday when he reports back for training and will stress he will have a role to play in the campaign ahead.

Higuaín, who had also been tracked by Juventus, has agreed personal terms over the prospective move to the Emirates Stadium but could yet be persuaded to remain, particularly with Arsenal still to agree an acceptable fee with Madrid over his transfer and the Spanish club close to losing out to Paris Saint-Germain in a deal for Napoli's Edinson Cavani.

Arsène Wenger hoped to secure his services for what would constitute a club record £23m, but Real have since indicated they would be seeking nearer £30m for his services. Indeed, the club's president, Florentino Pérez, was quoted on Monday as saying he did not want Higuaín to leave and that no acceptable offers are on the table.

Liverpool have held talks with West Ham United over a possible move for Stewart Downing, as Rodgers continues to remove expensive signings from the club's wage bill. West Ham have followed up their £15m signing of Andy Carroll with an inquiry for his England international colleague, who has entered the final two years of his Anfield contract. That position would impact on Liverpool's negotiating stance and, though no bid has been received for Downing, West Ham would have to pay in excess of £8m to land the 28-year-old winger.

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An interesting Sid Lowe article on Higuain:

Why Arsenal target Gonzalo Higuain has never felt loved at Real Madrid

[Swifty]

How about Kaka?
He's no longer in Madrid plans and his value is 10m, that is a good price even for Wenger.

That's a fair call - there's a few players that move and don't continue their form whether its due to environment, competition for spots, management style and even not being the only big fish in the pond. They then end up being potential bargains - the likes of Kaka and Torres fit that description IMO.
Similarly, despite the naysayers, I reckon Barry at 4m is a good option.
BUT we do need to show ambition and buy a couple of big names.
ElSharawaay, Suarez, Higuain, Rooney - is Hummels an option? Barca keeper?
Wenger needs some big name signings and so do we.

[Swifty]

Alright you bunch of belligerent naysaying sceptical hate everyone gooners.
Everyone has a pretty good idea which players are in 'play' this window.
You're in charge and guaranteed success in negotiation, you have 70m and can sign two players - who are they?
I'm taking ElShaarawy (spelling questionable) and Rooney.

[LeftfootlegendGooner]

Robin van pers and Cesc fabregas.....oh wait a minute

[northbank123]

I'm not convinced by Benteke. Better than our current options? Have to say that he probably is. Good enough to be our #1 striker? Not for me.

Aside from the fact that a large number of his goals seem to have been pens, when I've watched him half the time he plays well and grabs a goal and half the time he is fucking woeful. Truly woeful.

As for Florentino Perez, it's hardly unheard of for Spanish club presidents to do their peacock routine and he is no different. Appears to be a complete wanker and I do not believe for one minute that there have been no negotiations whatsoever as to the fee. Just Billy BigDick over there trying to impress the fans.

[northbank123]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23238595

Charlie Austin fails Hull medical, there's hope yet for SteveO

[rodders999]

Sanogo - free
Barry - 4 million.

I then trouser the remaining 66 million quid, stick my head up my hole and pray we scrape 4th place so this can be repeated ad nausium till our heads explode.

[Red Gunner]

Diaby will be "like a new signing" when he returns from injury, so that's my first top signing. For the future, I want either Thiago Silva or David Luiz as my second top signing.

[TeeCee]

This is just looking so much like a classic Arsenal fuck up all transfer window with a last minute panic buy of Loic Remy for £6m and Gareth Barry for £3m and Wenger will say how he's followed them both for years and is excited by both players joining us, remarking how Remy can emulate Henry and Barry adds great experience to our midfield (whilst not mentioning that Barry makes Mertesacker look like Usain Bolt)!!

Arsenal FC transfer dealings - Joke of the century!!

[Red Gunner]

Alan Pardew has told the press that he is interested in both Darren Bent and Loic Remy:

Newcastle target Darren Bent and Loïc Rémy in bid to boost firepower

Alan Pardew has confirmed his interest in Darren Bent and Loïc Rémy as he looks to boost Newcastle's firepower .

The pair are only two of a series of potential targets for the Newcastle manager, who told the Northern Echo: "Both of those players are on our list. I make no bones about that. But they are under contract at other clubs. It's difficult, you have to be careful. It's nice for our fans to hear names but I don't want to disrupt other clubs' preparations.

"We have a list of four or five strikers who will push [Papiss] Cissé, Shola [Ameobi], Adam Campbell and Yoan Gouffran because that will be important next season. We do need two strikers. Last season, I didn't think there was enough competition in that area for a Premier League team."

Bent appears to have no future at Aston Villa, who paid £18m to sign him from Sunderland in January 2011, although Christian Benteke's transfer request has left manager Paul Lambert in a difficult position.

Newcastle thought they had landed Rémy in January, only for the Marseille striker to opt for a more lucrative deal at QPR. However, his goals could not prevent QPR from slipping back into the Championship and he is available once again.

Sources on Tyneside had indicated that there was little appetite to reconsider the France international after his snub. However, there appears to have been a change of stance amid speculation that Harry Redknapp has asked for central defender Steven Taylor in a player-plus-cash deal for Rémy who cost them a club record £8m.

[SPARKSY]

As much as Adrian Durham does talk some shit about our club, the piece he has done today in the mailonline is spot on. Have to agree with him completely.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... olumn.html

[defleppardisking]

If i am the chairman I would tell wenger here's 70 million, take it and get the fuck out of our club

[kiwomya]

I'm not convinced by Benteke. Better than our current options? Have to say that he probably is. Good enough to be our #1 striker? Not for me.

Aside from the fact that a large number of his goals seem to have been pens, when I've watched him half the time he plays well and grabs a goal and half the time he is fucking woeful. Truly woeful.

As for Florentino Perez, it's hardly unheard of for Spanish club presidents to do their peacock routine and he is no different. Appears to be a complete wanker and I do not believe for one minute that there have been no negotiations whatsoever as to the fee. Just Billy BigDick over there trying to impress the fans.

Yeah, I don't see that he's better than Giroud. Everything at Villa went through Benteke like Michu at Swansea. It was the same with RVP in his last season or so with us. The difference with us now is that the goals are spread around most of the players up top. Although I think we can certainly improve, I don't think Benteke would be that man.

Looks like Sevilla are doing the same with Negredo. Everyone saying City were in talks blah blah. Sevilla say they've not even had an offer.

[Top Londoner]

Sanogo.

That is all.

Capiche?

[Top Londoner]

Sanogo - free
Barry - 4 million.

I then trouser the remaining 66 million quid, stick my head up my hole and pray we scrape 4th place so this can be repeated ad nausium till our heads explode.

+1

earth calling gooners, earth calling gooners.
catch on please