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Football transfer rumours: Thomas Lemar to join Arsenal?

<span>Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images</span>
Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images

Having managed to get his Arsenal players to stop shrugging when things go wrong, run further, shout more and generally look like they give a damn when they take to the field, Mikel Arteta can now start to think about the next step in the evolution of his Gunners … and a little creator is what he needs! There’s a player in Spain who has caught the eye but fans of romance will be disappointed to hear that it is not Santi Cazorla. No, step forward Thomas Lemar, the pocket-sized playmaker who has failed to shine in the rigid system at Atlético Madrid. The word is that Diego Simeone would happily hoof him towards London to make space in his squad for another striker, with Edinson Cavani the most likely arrival at the Wanda Metropolitano. The word is that Lemar, who joined Atlético in 2018 from Monaco for £50m is “close” to sealing a loan move with the possibility of a permanent deal in the summer.

Related: West Ham told to raise £12m offer for Nottingham Forest’s Matty Cash

Another player who is this close to checking in at the Emirates Stadium is the 6ft 3in Flamengo centre-back Pablo Mari. The 26-year-old spent three years at Manchester City between 2016 and 2019, and though he was mostly out on loan, he clearly left an impression on Arteta, who might see him as a more reliable defensive option to entertainment’s David Luiz. Expect a deal to be wrapped up for around £7m.

It’s going well for José Mourinho at Spurs isn’t it? Little more than a few months in and he is already looking for a mammoth transfer to solve the problems he clearly can’t fix on the training ground. He’s badgering Daniel Levy like no one’s business to bring Gareth Bale home. Home being Tottenham, not Southampton or Cardiff Civil Service. Real Madrid will not sanction a loan deal, though, and any permanent deal would involve agreeing to pay Bale something close to his £650,000 a week wages in Spain. Good luck with that, José. More likely is a £30m deal for the PSV forward Steven Bergwijn or Milan’s Krzysztof Piatek, though Chelsea are winning the race to sign the latter.

Manchester United are starting to resemble a drunk singleton frantically chatting up anyone that catches their eye as they try to secure a striker this January. They’ve started boasting about how good their training ground is to former Leicester striker Islam Slimani and Watford old boy Odion Ighalo. That will stop fans walking out in protest at the way the club is being run at their next home match won’t it, Ed? Ben Chilwell would be a more eye-catching signing, though United will wait until the summer to make a move for the Leicester left-back.

Related: Manchester United ponder move for former Leicester striker Islam Slimani

Another underwhelming striker who might be available before the window shuts this week is Christian Benteke, though Aston Villa are likely to be the quickest off the mark for the Crystal Palace outcast who will hope to party like it’s 2013 again if he returns to his old stamping ground.

Reports in Portugal suggest Liverpool are leading the race to sign Benfica’s 18-year-old midfielder Rafael Brito, who is also on Barcelona and Real Madrid’s radar. They will have to fork out a cool £38m for him, though.

And Newcastle’s hopes of bringing in Borussia Dortmund striker Paco Alcácer on loan this week may be dashed by goings on in Spain. With Barcelona likely to snaffle Rodrigo away from Valencia, the La Liga club may look to bring Alcácer back to the Mestalla, where he spent six years of his career between 2010 and 2016. Barça also like the look of Monaco’s £67m-rated Ben Yedder, though, which would be good news for Steve Bruce.