Walcott close to signing

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Theo Walcott is poised to end the uncertainty regarding his future by signing a new contract.

Discussions regarding a new deal have dragged on for some time, sparking speculation that Walcott was readying himself for an exit from The Emirates.

With the England winger set to become a free agent at the end of the season, the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United were said to be closely monitoring his situation.

Arsenal have, however, remained optimistic throughout regarding their chances of putting fresh terms in place.

It has taken longer than both sides would have liked for a compromise to be reached, but it would appear as though Walcott is set to put pen to paper on a lucrative new deal.

That is the indication Wenger has been given and he will continue to put all of his efforts into convincing Walcott to commit his future to Arsenal before dipping into the January transfer market.



He said after Wednesday's 1-0 victory over Swansea in an FA Cup third round replay: "Let's first try and finish the deal and see what we can do from there.

"I hope it will be soon. Very, very soon now."


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Walcott edging towards Arsenal deal

Theo Walcott looks closer to signing a new contract as the striker's representatives reportedly meet with Arsenal in the latest of a series of meetings.



With his contract expiring at the end of the season, speculation has surrounded Walcott's next move after he failed to sign an extension. Arsenal's top goalscorer this season, Walcott scored a hat-trick in the 7-3 win over Newcastle last Saturday to bring his total to 14 in all competitions this term.



Walcott said after that game: "I'm sure that something will be sorted very soon.I've always said I wanted to stay and I enjoy playing for this team. Now we will just see what happens.



"I will continue to play my football and let the people who look after me and the club talk to each other and go from there."



Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger made his feelings towards the striker's future clear, saying: "My desire is to extend his contract. He belongs here and hopefully we can do it."

Thursday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Manchester United are ready to enter the race to sign Arsenal contract rebel Theo Walcott, according to the Daily Mirror.



- Manchester United will use funds generated from the sale of Nani to move for two new players in the January transfer window, according to the Manchester Evening News.



- Manchester United target Mats Hummels admits it is an "honour" to be linked with Spanish giants Barcelona.



- Manchester City are preparing to step up their interest in Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets, according to AS.



- Brad Jones has signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool after impressing for the first team this season.



- Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has refused to give Joe Cole any guarantees about his future at the club, telling the Liverpool Echo that the midfielder's future is being assessed from game to game.



- Martin Jol does not believe Brede Hangeland will leave Fulham despite the latest speculation surrounding the defender's future.



- Swansea City defender Neil Taylor is poised to sign a new deal with the Premier League club.



- Jan Vertonghen claims he opted to join Tottenham Hotspur over Arsenal as Arsene Wenger wanted to play him in midfield.



- Barcelona have scuppered Liverpool's hopes of signing Spanish starlet Cristian Tello by handing him a new deal - but the Reds will be encouraged by his £8m buyout clause.



- Queens Park Rangers midfielder Esteban Granero is a £5.6million target for Fiorentina, according to the London Evening Standard.



- Midfielder Owen Hargreaves has said he could move to an MLS club as he seeks to reignite his injury-plagued career.



- Athletic Bilbao outcast Fernando Llorente declared it is “totally untrue” that he has agreed a move to Juventus, as his options are open ahead of the January transfer window.



- Malaga will offer Isco a bumper new deal to ward off interest from Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea, according to reports in Spain.



- Newcastle face a battle with AC Milan to clinch the signing of Anderlecht midfielder Lucas Biglia.



- Roma are leading the chase to sign Manchester United winger Nani when the transfer window re-opens in January.



- Roma could steal a march on Chelsea and AC Milan in the chase to sign Romania international Vlad Chiriches.



- Miralem Pjanic claims he would be happy to remain at Roma as speculation regarding his future intensifies.



- Robinho's father and agent Gilvan de Souza has rubbished rumours that the Brazilian star could leave AC Milan in January.



- FC Twente are expected to cut short their loan deal for defender Dedryck Boyata and send him back to parent club Manchester City after failing to make an impact for the Dutch outfit.



- Reading striker Pavel Pogrebnyak says he may need to hold talks over his future as he continues to struggle to hold down a regular place in the first team.



- Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway believes Wilfried Zaha may be distracted by the club's wish to keep him beyond January.



- Bundesliga outfit Greuther Furth have completed the signing of Serbian striker Nikola Djurdjic from Haugesund.



- Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Alexander Meier says he would be willing to stay with the club beyond the end of his current deal.

Sagna and Walcott face exits

Arsenal have reached an impasse in contract negotiations with Bacary Sagna as well as Theo Walcott, raising fears that two more first-team regulars will leave the club next year.

Sagna, who has twice been named in the Professional Footballers Association’s Premier League team of the year, has been offered only a one-year extension to his current deal at the Emirates Stadium, meaning that any renewed contract would take him until the end of the 2014-15 season when he would be aged 32.



Arsenal regard that offer as sensible but Sagna, who openly questioned the sales last summer of Robin van Persie and Alex Song, is understood to be disappointed and wants the security of a longer contract.



There is also still no further progress on Walcott, who has rejected a five-year deal worth £75,000 a week. Arsenal do retain hope of keeping both players but, following the departures over the past 18 months of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Gaël Clichy, Van Persie and Song, it does increasingly look like there will be further major changes next year.



The uncertainty over Walcott and Sagna comes at a time when the team are clearly in transition and already struggling to adapt following the recent loss of key players.

Tomas Rosicky, the Czech international whose time at Arsenal dates back to Thierry Henry’s first spell at the club, believes that a lack of confidence and a loss in passing fluency are among the key explanations for the current difficulties.



“Maybe I can bring calmness,” Rosicky said. “Sometimes we don’t keep the ball as we used to. I still think we have some very good players and we are better than what we are producing. We are good enough. It is a matter of confidence.



“You can see there are more back-passes than we used to do. You have to gain confidence by winning the next game.”



Arsenal play West Bromwich Albion at the Emirates on Saturday and, after the boos that followed their 2-0 home defeat against Swansea City last week, Rosicky is calling for unity.



“I can understand the frustration as an Arsenal fan as well,” Rosicky said. “We have to know we have young guys and they feel frustration. We all have to stick together. That is what we did last season when ­everyone wrote us off and we came back stronger.

“If we are all on aboard, the ­Emirates is a great place to be and a great place to play football but we must stick together and fight.”