Arsenal close in on double player exit as Mikel Arteta and Edu look to seal Arthur Melo transfer

Arsenal duo Pablo Mari and Sead Kolasinac are both close to departing the Emirates Stadium, according to reports.

As per Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, the former of the pair is closing in on a loan move to Udinese, with the Italian club's director, Marino, confirming they are in talks to sign a new defender this month.

He said: "We're going to sign another centre-back soon, this is our plan - I can confirm we're in talks to sign a new defender."

Mari has been at Arsenal permanently since July 2020, where he signed for around £5.4million, but he has failed to make too much of an impression in north London.

Pablo Mari is said to be close to completing an exit from Arsenal (Getty Images)

The 28-year-old has only featured twice in the Premier League this season under Mikel Arteta, and he now looks set to move elsewhere in order to get more consistent game time.

Meanwhile, Kolasinac is in a similar position to his Arsenal colleague, with the Bosnian left-back also playing just twice in the top-flight this term.

The 28-year-old full-back has just over six months remaining on his deal at the Emirates, meaning he can sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club before the January transfer window concludes.

According to reports, an agreement between Marseille and Kolasinac is close and he could seal a move away from the Gunners in the coming days.

What about incomings?

Arsenal are still pursuing Arthur Melo from Juventus. The Gunners wanted to bring the Brazil international in before the weekend's North London Derby against Tottenham, but that match was postponed.

Juve are keen to find a replacement before sanctioning Arthur's departure, with the Gunners keen to sign him on loan until the end of the season.

According to Calciomercato (via the Daily Star), the 25-year-old midfielder is 'pushing' to seal a move to Arsenal due to the lack of game time he has had this term with the Italian club and his desire to get into the Brazil's squad for this year's FIFA World Cup.

Meanwhile, Dusan Vlahovic remains a target for the Gunners, but Fiorentina are seemingly standing firm in their stance that they do not want to sell the Serbian.