Mikel Arteta maintains that Arsenal are "trying" to get deals over the line after admitting they are a "bit short".
The Gunners retain a strong interest in Mykhailo Mudryk with his club Shakhtar Donetsk open to selling if their valuation is met. So far the north Londoners have seen several bids knocked back by the Ukrainian outfit but have lodged a fresh offer.
A £70million bid, which includes an initial fee plus add-ons, has been put to Shakhtar as Arsenal attempt to get the deal over the line. The player himself is keen to make the switch to the Emirates - posting a cryptic story on his Instagram - as the Gunners look to build on their impressive start to the campaign.
Arteta continues to be quizzed on the Gunners' transfer activity, knowing full well his squad is not the deepest but refused to speak specifically about Mudryk: "We can't talk about players, there is interest in things we would like to do. We are a bit short, we are trying."
The Spaniard has seen his side win 14 of their 17 league games, which has allowed them to open up a five-point gap at the top. His starting XI has largely remained unchanged throughout the season however and they remain in the hunt both domestically and in Europe.
That has placed huge demands on his players but with a lack of options, Arteta has had to continue with the same names. Gabriel Jesus' injury has placed further strain on their resources with Eddie Nketiah coming in to fill the void left by the Brazilian.
Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have clocked up notable amounts of minutes and the introduction of Mudryk would give Arteta more options and allow him to rotate things as the season goes on. Shrewd recruitment has been crucial in Arsenal's rapid rise but the Spanish coach has previously underlined their need to bring in more firepower.
He said previously: "Can we afford not getting the player that we want? That is my question. We can afford to get a striker for sure if we want one, I don't know if he plays in League Two, in League Five, in Spain, in Portugal, in Africa.
"We can get a striker I can guarantee you that. But what we can not afford to do is get a player here that is not for us. This is what we can not afford, that is for sure. We don't need a body, we need players that make the team better. I think personalities that have the mentality that we want to win."
