Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has today confirmed that defensive midfielder Francis Coquelin is very close to finalising a new long term deal to see him stay at the Emirates.

Coquelin is out of contract at the end of the season and has experienced somewhat of a renaissance at the North London club. Since his return from his loan spell at Charlton, Coquelin has forced his way into the first team, putting in some fantastic displays in the process. He was the unsung hero of Arsenal’s clash with Manchester City in which the Gunners triumphed at the Etihad Stadium.

Arsene Wenger today has given an update on the Arsenal squad before their game against Paul Lambert’s Aston Villa on Sunday.

He stated that the team have no new injury concerns except for Alexis Sanchez who has apparently picked up a hamstring injury. He went on to state that he will face a late fitness test. He also noted that Arsenal new boy Gabriel should be fit to be in the Arsenal squad:

Reports in Italy today are claiming that both Premier League sides, Arsenal and Liverpool, are in contention to sign Argentinian international Gonzalo Higuain in the summer transfer window.

According to Italian journalists, Higuain wants to leave the Naples side at the end of his second season with the club. The Naples newspaper The Messenger contained the headline:

“Higuain, goodbye Italy”

Napoli playmaker Marek Hamsik has been heavily linked with a switch to many Premier League clubs such as Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea following quotes from his agent.

Agent Mino Raiola has stated that Hamsik is not showing his true potential at Naples and believes that if he makes a switch to a bigger club, he could truly become world class:

It looks as though Arsenal may miss out on one of their transfer targets this window as Italian international Mattia Destro looks set to make a switch to AC Milan.

Destro had been heavily linked with Arsenal during most of this transfer window, and were in the front running to sign him. Both Arsenal and Tottenham were in contention to sign the striker however it seems like he will be staying in Serie A.