Transfer news: Arsenal get Alexandre Lacazette and Mustafi go ahead, Paul Pogba to Manchester United latest

The biggest transfer news and speculation on Thursday 04 August

Alexandre Lacazette remains a target for Arsenal (Getty)

Arsenal have given Arsene Wenger the green light to bid whatever it takes in order to sign transfer targets Alexandre Lacazette and Shkodran Mustafi this summer as the Gunners continue to struggle in their pursuit of reinforcements, according to reports.

Arsenal have already seen a £29.3m offer for Lacazette rejected by Lyon, with the Ligue 1 club hoping the France international will sign a new contract to stay at the club rather than join the Gunners if they meet Lyon’s valuation. The striker will cost in excess of £40m, but so far Arsenal are unwilling to go above £35m in a bid to land the 25-year-old.

That could all be about to change, as The Times reports that Arsenal are willing to sanction a move for Lacazette as well as Valencia defender Mustafi, with the north London club already contacting his agent over a move.

With Lacazette costing upwards of £40m and Mustafi around £25m, Arsenal could take their summer spending to beyond the £100m barrier should they land both signings before the 31 August deadline.

One player Arsenal are not interest in though is Wolfsburg defender Julian Draxler, with the Germany international looking to leave the Bundesliga side. The Evening Standard reports that Arsenal have not made any enquiries for Draxler – official or otherwise – and will not be pursuing the 22-year-old as a priority signing despite showing interest in him

Manchester United fans hoping to see progress in the world record move for Paul Pogba will be buoyed by reports that a deal could be announced before Sunday’s Community Shield match against Leicester City. With United moving quickly to sign Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Jose Mourinho’s pursuit of Pogba has been much slower, with an agreement yet to be reached.

Pogba has been enjoying a post-Euro 2016 holiday in the United States, which may be the sole cause for the delay, but The Telegraph reports that an announcement may finally come before the end of the week.

Pogba is set to cost United up to £112m, with £92m of that fee going to his current club, Juventus, and the rest going to his agent, Mino Raiola. Pogba is set to earn around £275,000-a-week, making him the highest paid player in the Premier League, should he complete the deal in the coming days.

Pogba is United's number one summer transfer target (Getty)

Liverpool aren’t finished with their transfer business for the summer either after Jürgen Klopp admitted he could yet delve into the market to sign a seventh new player before the season begins.

"Is the activity all over? I have no idea," Klopp said in a press conference. "I don't think so. We will see what happens."

The Sun claims that Klopp is looking to sign Germany left-back Jonas Hector in a bid to ease his problem position, having been forced to deploy James Milner as an emergency defender during the Reds’ pre-season tour of the United States. It’s claimed that the Premier League side are willing to offer Köln £20m in an effort to sign the left-back.

Jurgen Klopp has made a raft of new signings at Anfield this summer (Getty)

One player who looks to be heading out of Anfield though is out-of-favour striker Christian Benteke. After joining Liverpool for £32.5m during Brendan Rodgers’s reign, Klopp clearly didn’t take to the Belgian and instead preferred to deploy Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi and Roberto Firmino in attack.

According to The Mirror, Sunderland manager David Moyes is keen on signing Benteke along with his former club, Everton, with Liverpool looking to recoup most of the fee they paid Aston Villa for the 25-year-old with a £30m asking price.

However, the Daily Mail adds that Benteke could be allowed to leave on loan, with the striker determined to find regular first-team football.