Fiorentina are still in the midst of a financial crisis, with crippling debts imposing a transfer freeze.
However, the desire to hold on to Austrian Manninger as well as the need to sell off some of their stars, looks set to give Arsene Wenger first refusal on Portuguese striker Nuno Gomes.
The plethora of strikers already present at Highbury may lead to a polite refusal from Arsenal - especially considering that the fee, even including the cost of Manninger, is likely to be around £8.5 million.
Nuno Gomes himself has admitted that he favours a return to Portugal, but the prospect of The Premiership has been raised several times.
Liverpool and Tottenham have both been strongly linked in the Portuguese press in the past, although Nuno Gomes' somewhat erratic form since a big money move to Italy may prove a problem to prospective buyers.
However, the young marksman, who rose to prominence during Euro 2000, would be far more suited to the pace and style of Premiership football than the more languorous Serie A.
