With each passing day, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil edge closer to the natural end of their Arsenal contracts – and to freedom. Lucrative, free agent freedom.

Meanwhile, the Gunners board spend each day trying to come up with clever ways to convince their star duo to sign new contracts, and therefore avoid the doomsday scenario of £100m’ worth of talent leaving the Emirates for nothing in July 2018. And today, they think they’ve been especially clever.

The Mail reports that Arsenal have offered Sanchez and Ozil pay rises of 20 per cent in a bid to persuade the pair to sign.

Initially this sounds like a stupid idea, because they have already rejected bigger pay rises than that, but the small print reveals that the 20 per cent would be an additional increase on whatever pay rise Sanchez and Ozil agree to this summer.

READ MORE: Dani Alves – I don’t play for money

The only stipulation for the extra 20 per cent is that they have to help the Gunners qualify for the Champions League next season to earn it. Or in other words, they have about a 20 per cent chance of ever seeing that extra 20 per cent.

Sounds like it could be back to the drawing board for the Arsenal, erm, board.

Sanchez and Ozil are just two of the several hundred players Manchester United may have been linked with in recent weeks, but so far they’ve only bought Victor Lindelof, who they agreed to sign several months ago.

Real Madrid know this, which is why they appear to be playing some proverbial “hardball” over Red Devils target Alvaro Morata.

After reportedly snubbing United’s £55m offer for the striker last week and demanding £65m, the Telegraph says Real have now snubbed United’s £65m bid and demanded £75m.

Incredible double swoop

Where will it end? With Mrs Morata getting increasingly upset, it seems, because the broadsheet adds that Alvaro left his new wife alone on their honeymoon in order to jet back to Madrid and try to speed the deal along.

United are also still trying to sign Monaco’s Fabinho in addition to Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic, says the Independent. Although both players are principally defensive midfielders, Jose Mourinho apparently wants to play Fabinho at right-back. And if that doesn’t work he could just take Morgan Schneiderlin’s place in the reserves.

Meanwhile, Everton are going transfer crazy and spending their £100m Romelu Lukaku windfall as if they’ve already received it.

READ MORE: Gossip – Giroud to West Ham? Matic and Morata to United?

The Sun claims the Toffees have beaten Man Utd to the signing of £25m Burnley defender Michael Keane, while the Mirror waxes lyrical over Ronald Koeman’s “incredible double swoop for the two of the hottest young strikers in Europe”. They are Eupen’s 20-year-old Nigerian Henry Onykuru and Malaga’s 21-year-old Spaniard Sandro Ramirez – combined cost £12.5m. Nice.

Elsewhere, Chelsea will offer Michy Batshuayi and Kurt Zouma (either one of them, not both) to Sevilla in exchange for winger Vitolo (Express), Tottenham could target Southampton right-back Cedric Soares as a replacement for Kyle Walker (Mirror) and Spurs are also ready to double Toby Alderweireld’s wages from his current £50,000 a week to see off interest from Inter Milan (Mirror). It’s a sobering thought when you realise Alderweireld was paid less than Fabio Borini last season.