It was looking like it could be a relatively quiet end to the transfer window for Arsenal, but that has all changed very quickly.
The Gunners have already been active this summer, bringing in Matt Turner, Marquinhos, Fabio Vieira, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to reach a spending total of well over £100million for the second summer in a row. Now though, it appears they may have to bring in more.
Mikel Arteta has always been open about the fact that he has wanted to add more to his Arsenal squad before the market closes at 11pm on September 1, but with injuries to Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny and Oleksandr Zinchenko, low numbers in the central midfield department may force the Gunners to act. The Spaniard did appear to indicate that his side would be open to doing some business in the aftermath of their 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Wednesday.
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"Obviously, it has an impact because Thomas is injured as well, and we're a bit short in that position (midfield)," he said when asked if the potentially long-term absence of Elneny could impact his plans on deadline day. "We have players like Sambi, we have players like Granit who can play there. The club has been super supportive to keep improving the squad and the team as we can, and if the right player is available and we can do it we will try."
At time of writing it doesn't appear that any deal is close. Youri Tielemans of Leicester has been a subject of interest all summer, but no official bid has yet been made. Palmeiras' Danilo is another to have been linked heavily for a fee believed to be in the region of £20 million however, football.london understands that deal is unlikely this late in the window due to the Brazilian side's reluctance to sell. However, it's one that could be revisited come January if nothing is sealed before 11pm tomorrow.
Douglas Luiz is another player to have been linked with the Gunners and football.london understands that he was a target in the January window earlier this year. Manager Steven Gerrard did appear to open to the door to a potential exit for the Brazilian who has just one year remaining on his deal at Villa Park on Wednesday, but reports have suggested that he is not currently for sale.
Arsenal's pursuit of a potential midfielder is unlikely to be affected by the fate of Ainsley Maitland-Niles. football.london understands the England international has attracted interest from Southampton over a potential move that could be a loan with a view to buy should the Gunners decide to trigger a one year contract extension option that they possess. Maitland-Niles has not made a matchday squad all season, and it is thought that the Gunners would be happy to allow him to go.
Another area where Arsenal have been open to strengthening is in the forward positions. The Gunners want a player capable of ideally playing across the front line and showed a strong interest in Raphinha earlier in the window before the Brazilian chose Barcelona. Pedro Neto has been explored as alternative option, but Wolves have reportedly asked for a fee of around £50million for the Portuguese international that would be difficult for the Gunners to meet. Mykhalo Mudryk is another player who has been sounded out, but with Brentford also interested, a deal for the Ukrainian also looks tough.
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