ARSENAL TRANSFER RUMOURS: Van Persie, Ganso, Niang and Walcott Involved In Latest Speculation

Arsenal fans may have renewed hope in the battle to keep a hold of their talisman Robin van Persie. The Daily Mail reports that the Dutch forward is back at the club on Monday and will hold face-to-face talks with manager Arsene Wenger.

According to the Mail, the powers that be at Arsenal believe that Van Persie's public statement that he would not sign a new contract may have merely been part of a maneuver by agent Kees Vos to secure better contract terms from the Gunners.

A similar scenario unfolded with Wayne Rooney at Manchester United less just under two years ago. Despite publicly lamenting the club's ambition and stating his desire to leave, within days Rooney had signed a massive new deal at Old Trafford.

However, it is believed that should Wenger be unable to persuade Van Persie to sign a new deal then the player will quickly be auctioned off to one of his several suitors. Wenger will be keen to avoid a repeat of events last summer where the late departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri gave him little time to sign suitable replacements.

Arsenal could also be faced with a tough decision over the future of Theo Walcott. Like Van Persie, Walcott has just 12 months to run on his current deal and, though, he has not yet stated anything publicly, it is believed that the England international is still some distance away from agreeing a new contract.

The Sun reports that members of the Arsenal board are willing to cash in on the England international, rather than stump up the £100,000-a-week in wages that is being demanded. Liverpool are thought to be willing to offer £15 million for Walcott, while Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain could also be interested.

If the club were to lose one or both of their unsettled first-team regulars, the club could appease fans with the signing of young Brazilian Paulo Henrique Ganso.

The Daily Mirror claims that the Gunners have entered the race for the 22-year-old advanced playmaker, who could now be set to leave Santos for Europe.

Ganso doesn't want to play for Santos anymore, said the club's vice-president Odilio Rodrigues. We learned that from the club's president Luis Alvaro last Thursday.

Ganso has lost his interest in Santos so we won't try to keep him anymore.

Once touted, along with club-mate Neymar, as the future of Brazilian football, Ganso has failed to fulfill his potential since a disappointing Copa America last summer. Despite recent struggles, Santos claim that they won't accept nothing less than his reported £45 million buyout clause.

We won't give up his buyout fee, Rodrigues added. Negotiations are open but the buyout fee has to be paid.

Given his current standing, the possibility of Arsenal or any other club paying that huge sum can quickly be dismissed.

After taking highly-rated Caen youngster M'baye Niang on trial, it was believed that the Gunners would soon be unveiling the 17-year-oldf forward at the Emirates. However, the Mirror reports that Manchester City have gained the upper-hand in the race to sign Niang after making a direct move for the £6 million-rated France Under-21 international.

Niang made 14 starts as Caen were relegated from Ligue 1 last season.