The Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho is preparing to try and hijack the contract negotiations between Arsenal and Robin Van Persie by bidding £25m for the Holland international striker, according to todays Sunday Mirror.

Van Persie has two years left on his contract at the Emirates, but contract talks have stalled as Arsenal are refusing to pay him the £90,000 a week that he thinks he is worth.

The Dutch striker is currently away on international duty at the moment, but Mourinho wants talks to begin with Arsenal as soon as possible, and he will promise to pay Van Persie the wages he wants.

Arsenal have reportedly agreed a deal to sign Ajax defender Thomas Vermaelen in a deal thought to be worth about €13 million.

The Gunners have been linked with a move for the Belgian international in recent weeks and a media report now claims that the two clubs have agreed a deal to transfer the player.

Dutch-language paper Het Laatste Nieuws, which is based in Brussels, reports that Arsenal and Ajax reached an agreement yesterday and that Vermaelen will now sign a four-year-deal at the Emirates.

The news is likely to please manager Arsene Wenger, who has admitted in recent weeks that strengthening his defence was a priority this summer.

Vermaelen, 23, joined the Dutch side in 2003 and has made almost 100 appearances for the club and has gone on to captain the side.

He is also an established international and has won over 20 caps for Belgium.

Arsenal gaffer Arsene Wenger has stated that his side could be under threat from Manchester City next season in the race for the Champions League spots.

The Gunners fell away in the title race last season, and at one point were in danger of losing fourth spot to Aston Villa, who were flying high in third place.

Wenger's side however managed to secure the last remaining Champions League spot with time to spare.

Now though, the Frenchman feels his team are under threat from Manchester City, who are intending to invest heavily on their squad with the aim of qualifying for Europe's elite competition next year.

City boss Mark Hughes will reportedly have a £250 million transfer budget, and Wenger is concerned that the club's billions could propel them into the top four.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Wenger said, "If Manchester City have a successful period in the buying, financial market, then they could climb to the top four."

The Gunners boss is also wary of the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa in the race for the Champions League places.

"Aston Villa can get a bit closer. Then you have teams like Tottenham," said the Arsenal boss.

Wenger is set to have a restricted budget this summer, with a reported transfer kitty of just £13 million, meaning astute purchases are required or his side could well miss out on Europe next season.

Bolton Wanderers manager Gary Megson has stated his intention to secure central defender Gary Cahill to a new contract.

The young English defender has been linked with big money moves to Arsenal and Manchester City of late but Megson is keen to keep hold of him.

The Trotters boss revealed that Cahill had been offered a new deal and that he and the club were negotiating the offer.

The central defender was in fine form last season and was rewarded with a call-up to the England squad last week, as a replacement for Rio Ferdinand.

Megson has praised the defender and was glad to see his international career go up a level, but was now even keener to secure him to a new contract.

Speaking to Daily Star Sunday, Megson said, "Gary is currently under contract and we are currently in the process of negotiating a new and improved deal for him.

"He has fully deserved his England call-up and we want him to earn many caps in the future as a Bolton Wanderers player.

"I want to build the team around him for the next few seasons.

"And that means we very much want him to stay with us here."

Cahill has been at the Reebok Stadium since moving from Aston Villa last year and has made 46 Premier League appearances for the club, scoring three times.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who has reportedly agreed a fee of €13 million for Ajax's Belgian centre-half Thomas Vermaelen, has also been linked with a move for Manchester City's utility defender Micah Richards.

Wenger will let Kolo Toure move in the opposite direction to Eastlands, according to reports in The Daily Mail, which also claims that Richards has been touted around Premier League clubs for £6m, as City boss Mark Hughes has lost patience with the player's apparently poor attitude.

That is a significant reduction in the £20m he was rated at only last season, and it may be that Wenger would rather take £10m from the Citizens for Toure.

The Ivorian has 12 months left on his Gunners contract and has his heart set on a move to City, The Mail reports, after almost joining them in the January transfer window.