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Hot Football Transfer Gossip: Arsenal ‘swoop for Evans’, West Ham ‘to bid £20m for Ayew’

Arsene Wenger has spent the last 12.3 years trying to find the winning formula that will make Arsenal Premier League champions again. He has experimented with various combinations in defence, midfield and attack, all without success, but the Frenchman may have just had his eureka moment and identified the missing ingredient. The man who can make the Gunners great again. It’s Jonny Evans.

That’s what the Sunday Mirror says anyway, as they reveal that Wenger has “zeroed in” on the West Brom centre-back. Hot Football Transfer isn’t sure exactly what zeroing in involves but the Mirror says Wenger is planning a £15m bid for the centre-back, so presumably it’s something to do with that.

Gunnners fans shouldn’t get too excited yet about the Northern Irishman’s arrival yet though, because Arsenal apparently face some stiff competition for his signature from Bournemouth. Really.

Just in case the capture of Jonny Evans doesn’t 100 per cent guarantee the Gunners the league title, Wenger is also trying to sign some other players - especially strikers. The Star on Sunday claims that Wenger will turn to Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi if he fails to land Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette, who he turned to after failing to land Icardi the first time. And so on.

Icardi and Lacazette are at least actual strikers though, which is more than can be said for latest player West Ham have identified as their “20 goal a season” centre-forward, Andre Ayew.

The Mail on Sunday reports that Slaven Bilic has managed to convince himself that the Swansea winger/midfielder/forward would be a “ready-made striker” and they are ready to pay £20m to sign him, which is precisely £20m more than they could have signed him for last summer but opted against it.

The Swans could replace Ayew, if they sell him, with Tottenham’s Nacer Chadli, according to Sky Sports “sources”. Although Chadli isn’t a striker, so maybe he wouldn’t be replacing Ayew who apparently is one.

Wolves are suddenly being tipped to do ridiculous things following their takeover by some Chinese people. The Mail on Sunday alleges that the Championship club could splash out £18m on Benfica forward Talisca, who is also a target for Liverpool.

Elsewhere, West Ham are interested in taking Manchester United left-back Cameron Borthwick-Jackson on loan (Sun on Sunday), Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has agreed to join Galatasaray for £2.3m (Sunday Express) and Manchester City continue to bore us by almost buying Schalke forward Leroy Sane but not actually buying him yet (Bild).

@darlingkevin