Arsene Wenger to launch £20m bid for Sporting Lisbon's William Carvalho.

Arsenal are preparing to go back to Sporting Lisbon with a £20million offer for Portugal holding midfielder William Carvalho.

Talks between the two clubs broke down in the autumn after Carvalho was valued at £30m by his Portuguese team.

But with Arsene Wenger taking Arsenal through to the Champions League knockout stages, where they face Monaco, the importance of solving their well-documented defensive problems have increased. Carvalho, 22, is one of the very few top international-class players who will probably be available in January. 

Sporting were eliminated from the Champions League by losing their final group game against Chelsea on December 10 and though they will be in the Europa League, they are willing to cash in on their biggest asset.