Arsenal put strikers Dybala and Cavani on Christmas wish list

As Arsene Wenger spends the day shaking his Christmas presents trying to see if one contains a central defender, it seems that the Arsenal boss has decided to buy himself another striker in the January sales, and Metro reports that he has "moved a step closer" to signing Palermo striker Paulo Dybala.

Instead of buying the biggest turkey in the supermarket, it appears that Wenger has offered the Italian outfit £31.4m for the 20-year-old Dybala. Described by Metro as "one of the most sought after young players in the world", Metro says that Wenger is determined to barge Borussia Dortmund out of the way in the race to sign Dybala. The German club were the frontrunners at one stage, but with their form having collapsed like the North Korean internet, Arsenal are now tipped to sign the striker next month.

Meanwhile the Daily Express reckons that Arsenal have been given the "all clear" to take Edinson Cavani off Paris Saint-Germain's hands next month. Apparently PSG boss Laurent Blanc has reached the end of his tether with the Uruguayan striker and will sell him to the highest bidder. Though a host of clubs have been linked with Cavani, the Express claims that Arsenal will move for him in a £50m move.

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In other news it appears that Wesley Sneijder is going to spend the festive period as unloved and unwanted as a badly-knitted Christmas jumper from granny. Manchester United and Southampton have both been linked with the Dutch veteran this year with Saints boss Ronald Koeman supposedly hot on his compatriot's trail. But Talksport reports that the Galatasaray star will be left out in the cold in Turkey for the time being. "There has been no interest from England," said Sneijder's agent, Guido Albers. "Wesley still has one-and-a-half years left on his contract with Galatasaray [and] they will not let him go as Sneijder is simply too important for the club."

The Daily Star says that Manchester United gaffer Louis van Gaal is refusing to rule out a £120m move for Gareth Bale. The paper alleges that the Welsh wizard wants away from the Spanish capital and in addition 53 percent of Real fans, who when polled, said they wouldn't care if Bale bailed out of the Bernabeu. Asked about a possible move for the former Tottenham star by reporters, Van Gaal replied: "I cannot discuss that with you. I discuss that with my CEO and not anyone from the media."

Sky Sports reports that Frank Lampard's future at Manchester City will be settled imminently. The midfield veteran joined the Sky Blues on a short-term deal at the start of the season, with the intention of linking up with New York City when the MLS season started in March. But such has been the 36-year-old's form that manager Manuel Pellegrini might try and hang on to Lampard till May. "I hope that the Frank situation will be resolved in the next few days," Pellegrini said. "I said at the beginning [of Lampard's loan] that it would be during December when we would have the last decision, but I repeat once again that I think Frank is very important for our team so I hope he will stay here."

Finally, as Transfer Talk looks forward to a week of idle eating as opposed to idle gossip, Goal.com reports that Southampton have confirmed they're taking Werder Bremen winger Eljero Elia on loan until the end of the season. The Dutch star, capped 27 caps by his country, will arrive at St Mary's next month and the Saints have the option of making the short-term move permanent in June. "It's a good option, he's a Dutch international," said Southampton boss Ronald Koeman. "He didn't have such a good time in Germany but I believe in the qualities of the player."