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Arsenal to complete £12 million signing of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Southampton
Publish piece of newsArsenal to complete £12 million signing of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Southampton RUMOUR
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As well as Oxlade-Chamberlain, they are close to signing Joel Campbell as a replacement for Nicklas Bendtner, while Arsene Wenger remains determined to add one more centre-back.
The need for a new defender has been further heightened by injuries during their final pre-season friendly of the summer against Benfica on Saturday to both Kieran Gibbs and Thomas Vermaelen.
Gibbs suffered a thigh strain and so is likely to miss the first game of the season on Saturday against Newcastle but Vermaelen is hoping to be available after coming off as a precaution with back pain. Vermaelen may be asked to play left-back against Newcastle if, as expected, Gibbs is ruled out, although there is also the option of Armand Traore.
Negotiations for Chamberlain, who will be 18 next Monday, have been protracted, with Southampton understood to have been holding out for a sell-on fee of around 40 per cent. However, further talks have resulted in agreement being neared on a deal that would involve Arsenal paying around £7 million up front and then a further £5 million dependent on various performance-related add-ons.
Barring any late hitch between Arsenal and Southampton, the deal should be completed this week, with personal terms expected to be a formality.
After such a difficult summer, the signing of Oxlade-Chamberlain, an England Under-21 international, would represent a considerable coup for Arsenal. Liverpool had an offer turned down in January while Manchester United had also asked to be kept informed of the progress on any deal.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has always made it clear that his preference is for Arsenal and, although he is unlikely to feature prominently in the Premier or Champions League this season, he would be given his chance in the Carling Cup and potentially the FA Cup.
Campbell, a 19-year-old Costa Rican striker, would also be a signing largely for the long-term and will cost around £1 million.
Emirates bound: Chamberlin
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oyexy good if it is true at least we'll havea back up anytime there is chrises
the 08-08-2011 at 19:01
johnsonmakos ....but I mean established defenders that will stand out throughout the season. Anyway, half bread is better than none.
the 08-08-2011 at 13:22
