Arsenal have offered £90m for Sporting duo Gelson Martins and William Carvalho in a stunning summer swoop.

That’s according to a Portuguese news report which claimed the Gunners’ initial £80m bid of was rejected. Arsenal have reacted quickly by increasing it to try and persuade Sporting to sell.

Both Gelson Martins and William Carvalho have release clauses in their contracts and Sporting are keen not to sell for less than that. Martins (€60m) and Carvalho (€30m) make up the whopping total, although it’s unlikely Arsenal would splash out so much money without careful consideration first.

Martins, 22, netted six goals and created 14 assists on the flank for Sporting last season. Defensive-midfielder Carvalho has been on Arsenal’s radar for a number of seasons now, and at 25 years of age he’s understandably eager for a step-up. He was a mainstay in midfield last season and made 43 appearances in all competitions.

Carvalho’s agent is also the brother of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, and with many European giants interested, it makes sense Arsenal would want to respond quickest and avoid seeing their approaches hijacked by other sides.