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James Milner transfer news: Arsenal and Liverpool remain on alert as Milner's Manchester City future thrown into doubt

Milner is out of contract at the end of the season and talks have stalled on agreeing a new deal

Jack de Menezes

Thursday 18 December 2014 13:42 GMT

James Milner is out of contract at the end of the season (Getty Images)

James Milner’s future at Manchester City has been thrown into doubt after talks between the England midfielder and the club regarding a new contract stalled.

Both Milner and manager Manuel Pellegrini have stressed their desire for talks to continue positively, but the length of playing time afforded to Milner is known as a serious factor in whether he remains at the Etihad Stadium or seeks a move elsewhere.

Speaking publically following last week’s 2-0 win over Roma, Milner stated that talks were on-going and he hoped to reach a resolution soon.

"There are talks going on so hopefully it will be sorted soon,” said Milner. "I just want to contribute as much I can because there are a lot of games during the season."

Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

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1/17Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

Ilkay Gundogan

The Germany international is out of contract in 18 months with Borussia Dortmund, and while he is thankful for their support during a long-term injury and subsequent recovery, he will not be signing an extension. That could see the Bundesliga club allow him to leave in order to cash in on his worth, and Arsenal are believed to be preparing a £16m offer to test the German club's resolve.

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Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

Ron Vlaar

The Aston Villa captain is out of contract at the end of the season, but his impressive form at the start of this campaign helped Villa get off to a promising start. Paul Lambert remains hopeful of agreeing a new contract with Vlaar to avoid losing him on a free in the summer. The 29-year-old would bring a wealth of experience to the Gunners defence along with a certain calibre, having started all seven of the Netherlands’ World Cup matches in Brazil.

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Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

Loic Perrin

Wenger is reportedly interested in Saint Etienne captain Loic Perrin. The French defender, 29, can also play in defensive midfield and at a price of around £6m would allow Wenger to chase other, bigger name defensive options.

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Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

Virgil van Dijk

The Celtic defender has emerged as a leading candidate to join Arsenal in January with a £7m offer said to be lined up by the Gunners. Wenger’s admission that they could not add another player in the summer means that they are likely to sign a defender, and the belief is that Wenger attempted to sign Van Dijk on transfer deadline day only to fail in his last-minute pursuit.

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Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

Winston Reid

The West Ham defender has been impressive this term and would offer a cheap, if uninspiring choice at centre-back. With his contract expiring in the summer, he could be available for around £4m in January. A possible swap deal with Carl Jenkinson has also been mooted.

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Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

Mats Hummels

Borussia Dortmund’s talented centre-back is one of the most sought-after players in Europe with both Manchester United and Barcelona interested in his services. Arsenal emerged as a shock potential destination though, with the Gunners rumoured to be willing to pay up to £32m for Hummels, who has suggested that this could be his final season with Dortmund.

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Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

Morgan Schneiderlin

The Frenchman accepted that he would not be leaving Southampton in the summer and flourished as a result, with Saints flying high in the Premier League. However, Schneiderlin will look to leave the south coast club come the end of the season with Tottenham likely to be the favoured destination to link up with his former manager Mauricio Pochettino, but Arsenal could look to hijack any deal and get one over their North London rivals. Schneiderlin would suit the Gunners playing style, and he certainly has the quality to fit in the current Arsenal first-team – just look at his record over the past two seasons compared to Mikel Arteta and you’d suggest there is only one winner.

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Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

Edinson Cavani

Cavani has spoken of his desire to move to the Premier league and Arsenal have been identified as a potential destination. The Uruguayan would not come cheap, given that PSG signed him from Napoli for £53m. A January move would be difficult with PSG still in the Champions League.

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Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

Nabil Fekir

French youngster Nabil Fekir has impressed with Lyon this term, scoring goals at a decent return. His father has said that if he leaves the French side, Arsenal would be his preferred destination, despite rumours of interest from Manchester City.

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Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

Julian Draxler

Draxler was a name that was heavily linked during last season’s January transfer window, but any hope of a move appeared to be dashed when he suffered a drop in form that nearly cost him his World Cup place in the Germany squad. Despite that, Arsenal are reportedly still interested.

Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

William Carvalho

Arsenal have held talks with Sporting Lisbon before but have so far been unsuccessful in their attempts to sign the holding midfielder. It's reported that Arsene Wenger has renewed hope of landing the 22-year-old Portugal international due to Sporting Lisbon's elimination from the Champions League at the group stage and is preparing a £25m bid.

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Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

Chris Smalling

The England international was discussed by Arsenal when Thomas Vermaelen was linked with a move to Manchester United. Vermaelen went to Barcelona instead but Arsenal are thought to retain that interest in Smalling, despite some questionable performances this season.

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Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

Yohan Cabaye

Arsenal failed with an audacious £10m bid for the Frenchman last year, and he eventually returned home to join PSG in a deal worth in excess of £20m after three years with Newcastle. However, Cabaye has found himself on the fringes of the first-team in Paris, with Marco Veratti, Blaise Matuidi and Thiago Motta favoured in a three-man midfield. Arsenal are still believed to be interested in his services, and a return to the Premier League may not be that far-fetched.

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Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

Sami Khedira

Linked with just about every major club in Europe in the summer, Khedira ended up staying at Real Madrid. He's made very few appearances this term and with his contract up in the summer, the Champions League holders may opt to make a few bucks by selling the World Cup winner. Arsenal would be very keen.

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Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

Christoph Kramer

If Arsenal can't land Khedira, there is another German midfielder of interest. Christoph Kramer, who is on a long-term loan with Borussia Monchengladbach from Bayer Leverkusen has indicated his interest in moving to the Premier League. Arsenal have been linked with a £20m move.

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Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

Paulo Dybala

Arsenal have been linked with a move for Palermo striker Paulo Dybala. The 21-year-old has been banging in the goals in Serie A this term, leading to speculation he's in line for a big move. But the Palermo president has indicated he won't be allowed to leave for anything less that £31m

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Arsenal: Players linked with a move to the Emirates during the latest transfer window

Paul Pogba

The French midfielder is believed to be attracting attention from the Emirates regarding a possible £40m move, and would fill the holding role that has hindered the Gunners for years.

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Milner’s future first came into question at the start of the season when reports linked him with a move to one of City’s Premier League rivals in the shape of Arsenal and Liverpool. The 28-year-old, who will celebrate his birthday early next month, became a regular feature from the substitutes’ bench that caused him to grow slightly frustrated with the amount of first-team football he was seeing, but he has also developed a reputation for being one of the more dependable players in City’s talented squad.

Pellegrini made it clear that the deal was nearly completed to keep Milner at the club he joined in 2010 for a deal that cost around £20m plus Stephen Ireland moving to Aston Villa. However, the Telegraph is today reporting that Milner still harbours doubts over whether he will feature regularly now that City’s regular midfielders are coming back to full fitness.

David Silva has only just returned from a knee injury while Samir Nasri is showing signs that he has fully recovered from the groin injury that saw him miss a large chunk of the opening stages of the season. The injuries to Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic has also seen Pellegrini play a man extra in midfield, but it’s known that the Chilean favours a two-man attack when he has all his options available to him.

Milner has started seven of City’s 16 Premier League games this season and looks set to surpass the 12 starts he made last season, although the midfield is reportedly still far from convinced that he has forced his way into the reckoning for a first team berth.

James Milner in action against Roma (Getty Images)

The news could interest both Arsenal and Liverpool who are still keen on bringing in a player of Milner’s quality, not to mention add to their English quota of players that helps fulfil the certain requirements demanded by Uefa for homegrown players.

Should talks continue to stall, Milner would be free to discuss a move abroad from 1 January but would have to wait until the end of the season before he could speak with other Premier League clubs.

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