Arsenal and United Set To Battle For New Patrick Vieira – Report

Arsenal are willing to fight Manchester United to sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho, who has been labelled the new New Patrick Vieira, reports in Portugal claim.

Carvalho, 21, is proving to be a sensation in Portugal this season and has quickly caught the eye of the Premier League giants with a string of sublime performances. The defensive midfielder started all 14 domestic league games, scoring two goals and was named the best player in the league by the supporters during October and November.

Portuguese newspaper O Jogo reports that Arsenal and United are leading the race to secure his signature while Italian side Juventus are also interested in securing his services.

Carvalho's contract with his current club expires in 2018 and although he has a release clause in the region of £37.5m reports claim that Sporting will be willing to listen to offers of just over £13m.

Recently, other reports claimed that Arsenal scout Francis Cagigal was in Portugal scouting Carvalho while David Moyes´representatives have also been at the Alvalade Stadium on a number of occasions observing the player.

David Moyes is desperately looking to make some additions to his squad this month and he is especially concerned about his midfield, where Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley and summer signing Marouane Fellaini have failed to convince the boss during the first half of the season.

At Arsenal Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini have forged a solid partnership this season but Arsene Wenger always has his eye on the biggest young talents in Europe and understands that Carvalho could be a good addition for the future.

Carvalho´s impressive performances this campaign led him to been capped once by Portugal and he may have the chance to play in the next summer's World Cup.