Ljungberg wages stumbling block to Fiorentina transfer

Fredrik Ljungberg is close to agreeing a £5.5m move to Fiorentina - although there is a major stumbling block over the Arsenal midfielder's wages. The 30-year-old Swedish international has been told he can leave, after nine years at the club, but the Italians do not want to pay the £70,000 a week he earns at the Emirates.

They are prepared to pay a straight transfer fee for Ljungberg after initially offering the Danish defender Per Kroldrup in exchange. However, Arsenal are believed to have indicated they had little interest in the former Everton player. As part of the negotiations it's understood that Fiorentina, whose delegation arrived in London on Monday, are trying to negotiate sponsorship deals to try and make the four-year contract they are offering more attractive to Ljungberg.

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The Swede, who was offered to West Ham United in January, is keen on a move to Italy if he leaves Arsenal where his first-team opportunities have become limited. The transfer funds - plus the freeing up of a lucrative contract that still has two years to run - will help Arsène Wenger's re-building plans. Arsenal are close to announcing the £7m acquisition of right-back Bakary Sagna, from Auxerre, and are still mulling over whether to trigger the £13m buy-out clause in the contract of the Newcastle United striker Obafemi Martins.

However, the French club Caen yesterday played down claims that Arsenal had signed striker Yoan Gouffran for £2m. The Ligue 2 Player of the Year is also interesting Lyon.

But the Caen chairman, Jean-François Fortin, insisted that the club had not received any bids for the 21-year-old. "Yoan is a very promising player who attracts a lot of interest from some clubs," he said.

"But for the moment I can assure you that I haven't received any calls from Alain Perrin [Lyon's coach] nor Arsène Wenger."

* Liverpool have signed the 17-year-old Millwall striker David Amoo for an undisclosed fee. Port Vale have approachedformer Liverpool and England striker Robbie Fowler. The 32-year-old is a free agent after leaving Anfield last season.