Arsenal eye William Carvalho, Lucas Leiva leaving Liverpool, Benteke swap?

William Carvalho might be the ideal man for Arsenal's midfield, but will the two sides make a deal?

The rumours are gaining momentum and, in many instances, credibility. Transfer Talk has the latest news as the summer window nears.

Arsenal to go for William Carvalho?

Life is good at the Emirates these days.

Back-to-back FA Cup trophies, two straight summers of big-money signings in Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, and finally, an end to the Petr Cech saga have given the Gunners a solid foundation for the 2015-16 season. Yet they have been largely frustrated in their pursuit of Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, arguably the final piece of the puzzle, so they're turning to an oft-linked target: Sporting Lisbon's William Carvalho.

It feels like Arsenal have been connected to the 23-year-old for an eternity, with Manchester United also inquiring about the Portuguese U21 star (he was part of the team that just thrashed Germany 5-0 in the Euro U21 Championship semifinals). Yet he's still in Lisbon, seemingly waiting for the call. The Daily Star estimated he'll cost in the region of £20 million, which seems to be the going rate.

As for Schneiderlin? The same news outlet reckoned Manchester United have won that particular race and will pay a cool £25 million (£20 million, plus add-ons) for the young Frenchman's services.

Carvalho is exactly what Arsenal need: someone to take the pressure off young Francis Coquelin in that difficult and vital holding midfielder role. After all, some aggression and physicality are proven assets in the Premier League, especially with the Gunners' expensive coterie of creative midfielders such as Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla and (for now) Theo Walcott linking the attack. But will they get the business done, or will this mooted connection drag on all summer long?
Ramos for De Gea, De Gea for Ramos?

The reported swap involving Sergio Ramos, David De Gea, Real Madrid and Manchester United is fascinating on so many levels. Our ESPN FC TV team debate whether it's a genuine attempt or just leverage in a complicated game of chicken.
The ESPN FC panel discuss whether or not David De Gea would be included in a potential swap for Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos.
Leggo my Beggo, Chelsea!

We covered this earlier, but if you missed it: Stoke City have rebuffedChelsea's initial offer for goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. Now that Cech's out of the picture, the Blues sorely need a proven, reliable backup for superstar Thibaut Courtois, and they've settled on the imposing Bosnian as their man.

An initial bid of £6 million has reportedly been turned down, with the Potters holding out for something closer to £10 million. Watch this space. If there's one thing Chelsea aren't short on, it's money.
Reds' exodus about to begin?

Liverpool are wasting no time this offseason in a bid to return to the Premier League's top four. Whether they can is another issue, but they can't be accused of complacency after already agreeing to deals for a staggering six signings before July 1. Nathaniel Clyne is ironing out the final details prior to joining Adam Bogdan, James Milner, Danny Ings, Roberto Firmino and Joe Gomez at Anfield, which means a few need to leave to make room.

The Daily Mail predicted a list of 10 Reds are soon to be booted out the Anfield door, with long-time servant Lucas Leiva the latest name mentioned in that frantic personnel churn.Lucas Leiva has made nearly 200 appearances for Liverpool since he joined the Reds in 2007.

The often injured Brazilian has been a calming, influential figure at times in the midfield, as he helped offset Steven Gerrard's natural excitability and the weaknesses in defence. But there is simply no room for the 28-year-old, who featured 32 times for the club the past season, in Brendan Rodgers' plans moving forward.

Only time will tell if it's a smart move, but Lucas now heads quite an eye-opening list of surplus stars, including Mario Balotelli, Fabio Borini, Rickie Lambert, Jose Enrique and Luis Alberto.
Swap shop for Adebayor, Benteke?

It wouldn't be an episode of Transfer Talk without a Tottenham mention, so here it is: The Mirror believes Tottenham is in conversation with Aston Villaabout a possible swap involving strikers Emmanuel Adebayor and Christian Benteke.

We are fairly certain which striker we'd rather have in any potential trade, but far be it for us to advise Villa of this reported deal's obvious dangers. Best of luck to Daniel Levy during this tricky time.
Tap-ins

- Marca reports that Barcelona defender Martin Montoya is set to have a medical at Inter Milan, who have backed Roberto Mancini's desire for a competitive team with a summer of heavy spending so far (Geoffrey Kondogbia and Jeison Murillo).

- Two middling strikers are not available this summer, apparently. Edin Dzekois not talking to AS Roma, according to his agent, while Borussia Dortmundhave taken Ciro Immobile "off the market," to the dismay of Napoli andFiorentina, who had been hoping to lure him back to Serie A.

- Massimiliano Allegri would love to bring Isco to Juventus. Who wouldn't?Said Allegri to the Italian media: "I'd like a playmaker who never gets bored, a wildcard in a balanced game plan. Egoism and narcissism, in moderate amounts, isn't harmful to a team's health.

"I like Isco from Real Madrid and Oscar from Brazil, while among young Italians, there's much to admire in [Domenico] Berardi and [Federico] Bernardeschi. The signing of a No. 10 is both a tactical and personal desire of mine for my team."

OK then. Can't really mince those words.