Gunners eye Sporting star
by Joseph Caron Dawe, 16 May 2008
With Mathieu Flamini gone and Alexander Hleb seemingly close to an Emirates exit, the latest name being linked with a move to North London to plug the gap is Sporting midfielder Miguel Veloso.
The 22-year-old Portugal international is believed to fit the bill for Wenger, who is looking to replace the Milan-bound Flamini with a similarly defence-minded midfield player.
Reports from Veloso’s homeland suggest that negotiations may be entered into over the coming weeks as The Gunners do not want to lose out on him, as he has also courted interest from Manchester City while being constantly linked with their rivals United over the past 18 months.
A stumbling block appears in the suggested €30 million (£23.9m) release fee clause in Veloso’s contract, a sum that Portuguese publication O Jogo maintains the Arsenal board will meet in order to secure the player’s services.