Despite Arsene Wenger's repeated assertions that he's playing it safe in the transfer market until the EU gets its act together (and that's been delayed again...) - the Daily Mail can't resist a sensational transfer tale linking us to German international Jens Nowotny.

They reckon we're now in a bidding war with Man Utd, which kicked off in the summer when a £24.5m bid by Arsenal was rejected. (Down from the £27m quoted earlier this year... that's currency fluctuation for you!) United apparently came in for him in October, after the Wembley game, with bids of £20m and £23m. 'A source at Leverkusen confirmed the offers,' they claim.

Manager Rainer Calmund is 'privately resigned to the departure of his team captain', and 'United and Arsenal are willing to pay the price to break Nowotny's contract, which runs until 2005'.