Gunners near a deal for defensive midfield ace.
Arsenal are reportedly close to agreeing a deal to sign highly-rated Sporting Lisbon defensive midfielder William Carvalho, according to the Metro.
The Gunners have been on the lookout for a new defensive midfield star ever since Alex Song left for Barcelona back in 2012, and now may finally slot together a vital piece of their puzzle by landing the Portugal international.
Arsene Wenger had a £24 million bid rejected by Sporting officials earlier this week, but have been encouraged to make a return after learning that the Primera Liga side have put him up for sale.
Carvalho originally had a release clause of £37 million installed in his contract, but the club are now believed to be willing to let him go for a considerably smaller amount.
Manchester United and Real Madrid are also keen on the 22-year-old but it’s thought that Arsenal are the only club to have kicked off negotiations to bring him on board.
Carvalho first broke in to the sporting Lisbon side back in 2011, but spent two season away on loan with Fatima and Cercle Brugge before making a bigger impact in the Portuguese capital last term.
He then followed a strong showing last season with several good appearances at the World Cup.
