Chamakh chooses Arsenal as Fabregas gets new deal

After Arsenal's defeat to Chelsea two things were apparent. Firstly, they need more options up front and secondly, their fragile midfield cannot afford to lose Cesc Fabregas.

And despite all the doom and gloom at the Emirates it would appear that Arsenal could be close to dealing with both those issues.

Striker Marouane Chamakh has given the biggest hint yet that he will move to London rather than Liverpool in the summer when he reportedly told French media: "My choice is to join a Premier League club. If I had a choice, I would go to Arsenal."

The news will delight the Gunners who have been chasing the Bordeaux striker for months, but failed to land him in the transfer window. Chamakh had reportedly agreed to join Liverpool, who have offered him a four-year contract worth £3m a season, but now it seems as though Arsenal are back in the race.

Arsene Wenger had made an offer for the player, who is out of contract at the end of the season and can leave Bordeaux on a free transfer. But the Gunners were offering a much smaller signing on fee.

Despite their smaller offer Arsenal had not given up hope of attracting the 25-year-old to the club and now they appear to have won him over.

A frustrated Cesc Fabregas appears to be inching towards a big-money move to Barcelona this summer, but the Gunners will not let him go without a fight.

The Sunday Mirror reports that Arsenal will offer their captain a new five-year deal that will make him their highest paid player. The Gunners are desperate to keep hold of their 22-year-old skipper and although he has another three years left on his current contract the club is now prepared to offer him an upgrade that would see him getting £120,000 a week.

But the news from Spain on Monday was not so good for Arsenal. Spanish newspaper Sport says Fabregas will conclude a move to Barca with "a mninimum of fuss", while AS reports that Real Madrid are poised to enter the race for the playmaker.

Could Jose Mourinho be set for a return to the Premier League? Inter Milan's Portuguese manager has reportedly told media in his home country that he is "not in love with Italy" and the News of the World says that the admission will alert the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City.

Mourinho appeared to be very much in love with the Premier League when he was at Chelsea and he has long been linked with a return. Now it seems that he could be prepared pay the £5.5million buy-out clause in his Inter Milan contract this summer and return to England.

Everton's talented teenager Jack Rodwell may follow in the footsteps of Wayne Rooney by joining Manchester United. The 19-year-old is regarded as one of the best prospects in the Premier League and Alex Ferguson is eager to add him to his roster of young talent after signing Chris Smalling from Fulham.

The biggest obstacles for Ferguson are likely to be the £12 price tag that Everton have slapped on the player, and the frosty relations between the two clubs after the Rooney transfer in 2005.

Finally, Juventus are planning a double raid on the Premier League this summer with Liverpool's Martin Skrtel and Spurs' Gareth Bale in their sights. The Italians are prepared to pay £8m for Skrtel and £13m for Bale.