Manchester United may pose a threat to Arsenal in the remaining few days of the January transfer window amid injury concerns for both clubs. The Gunners are keen on adding to their squad before the deadline on Tuesday, but face a potential rush to get any deals completed.
The midfield is a particular area of concern, with the deeper options at Mikel Arteta's disposal particularly limited heading into the latter half of the season. Mohamed Elneny faces a spell out with an injury while there will be some relief that Thomas Partey's initial issue against Manchester City on Friday isn't serious.
"Well, we need some more cover in midfield ideally if we can," Arteta told reporters. "In this market it’s pretty complicated to do that. The most important thing is that we get the performances and the time on the pitch that we need with the players we have available today that are already really good."
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If the Gunners are delving into the market, they could be met with a threat from Manchester United due to their own injury concerns. Donny van de Beek is set for a long spell on the sidelines while the latest casualty is Christian Eriksen, who left United's FA Cup triumph over Reading in crutches.
With the Red Devils also short on midfield numbers, they could look for a quick fix and join the race for some midfield signings. Youri Tielemans is one that has been linked with both clubs, having reached the tail end of his contract at Leicester, though Arsenal's interest has cooled, football.london understands.
Brighton star Moises Caicedo is another that is on the radar at the Emirates Stadium, having had a £60million opening bid from the Gunners rejected on Friday. The Ecuador international has since opened up on his desire to leave the Seagulls and a previous admission of a dream to play for Man United could throw a spanner in the works.
It remains to be seen if they will join Arsenal in the transfer market for a midfielder, but it could prove to be a huge problem if they do.
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