Arsenal ramp up pursuit of winger wanted by Man Utd & Man City

Arsenal have stepped up their interest in Sporting CP winger Francisco Trincao and are prepared to double his salary if he moves to the Emirates Stadium this summer, a report has revealed.

Trincao is entering the final two years of his contract after an excellent individual season which has seen him rack up nine goals and 18 assists across all competitions, and that form is believed to have caught the eye of a number of teams in England.

First to be linked with Trincao were Manchester United, led by former Sporting boss Ruben Amorim, and Manchester City, whose interest is likely driven by Hugo Viana, the director who will leave Sporting this summer in favour of moving to the Etihad.

Talks have been opened and Arsenal have indicated a willingness to double Trincao's salary if he moves to England this summer, hoping to convince the Portugal international to reject his side's attempts to extend his contract.

Trincao's current contract includes a release clause of €60m (£51.1m) but there is significant uncertainty over whether Barcelona, his former employers, hold a buy-back clause for the winger.

Initially thought to have a €25m (£21.3m) option on Trincao alongside a 50% sell-on clause, it was later claimed that Barcelona's agreement with Sporting was only valid until last summer, likely ruling them out of any transfer race if correct.

Sporting want to keep hold of Trincao but recognise the financial battle they are facing to compete with the Premier League's elite. If they are to lose the key starter, they will demand clubs meet his release clause in its entirety.

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