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Arsenal in transfer market for new central midfielder

Arsenal are in the market for a new central midfielder with less than a month of the transfer window left to go.

The Gunners, who were set to sell Granit Xhaka until recently with the move now reportedly off, are keen on bolstering their midfield options with the new season getting underway later this month.

The north London club have expressed their interest in numerous different options, according to reports, including Sander Berge, Ruben Neves, Donny van de Beek and Renato Sanches.

The latter of the quartet, Sanches, is a name that continues to make an appearance in the daily transfer rumour mill.

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And, according to L’Equipe, via Team Talk, Lille have named their price for the Portugal international, who has been linked with Arsenal, Liverpool and Barcelona at different points this summer.

The 2020/21 French champions are demanding €35million (£29.8m) for Sanches’ signature, with the 23-year-old still having around two years remaining on his contract at the Stade Pierre Mauroy.

Sanches made the switch to France after three underwhelming seasons at Bayern Munich, where he failed to tie down a spot in the first team.

The Portugal midfielder has previous experience in the Premier League, albeit not a massive amount, after spending the 2017/18 season on loan at Swansea City.

But Sanches’ quality has re-emerged recently, with the midfielder playing a key role in Lille’s surprise Ligue 1 triumph last season, and he brought his form into the Euros with Portugal.

A report from the Daily Mail last month suggested that Mikel Arteta saw Sanches as a possible alternative to James Maddison.

football.london understands that Maddison is on Arsenal’s radar this summer, but recent reports have claimed that the Leicester City star could cost around £70m, making Sanches a much cheaper option.

The Gunners have a strong relationship with Lille, as well, with the north London club buying Nicolas Pepe and Gabriel Magalhaes in 2019 and 2020, respectively, from the French outfit.

Arsenal have signed three players so far this summer, with Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Ben White all arriving at the Emirates Stadium for a combined total of around £75m, meaning if the club did sign Sanches, then the overall cost of the window would be way over £100m.

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