Arsenal have been a give in the January transfer window but have yet to pull off any signings. The club currently are lacking in the central and defensive midfield department and need to sign some talent. Technical director Edu Gaspar has been holding meetings and scouting players but nothing seems to be working.
With the January window just over weeks away from its end, Arsenal fans will be agitated for new signings as their club enters a busy round of fixtures, one of which led to the club’s Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur being postponed.
Here are the latest news surrounding Arsenal and their midfielder search in the January transfer window.
Arthur loan present two new obstacles for Arsenal to overcome
According to reports, Arsenal have two obstacles in their way as they pursue a loan deal for Juventus midfielder, Arthur Melo.
The former Barcelona man is ready to make the switch from Turin to North London but TuttoMercato claims that Arsenal only wants to take Arthur on loan and pay his full wages without paying a loan fee to Juventus’, who have only started the Brazilian four times in 20 games this season.
Juventus is also reported to be looking for a replacement for Arthur before letting him leave, meaning that the Brazilian will continue to be on their books for the rest of the season if they do not find a replacement.
Arsenal’s January bid for Vlahovic in danger of collapse
Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has come out to claim that the Gunners are less likely to sign Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina this winter window, even though Fiorentina is ready to sell.
Arsenal is not the only club bidding for the Serbian, but are said to be leading the race to sign him. Romano claims that Vlahovic has made his mind up to stay the rest of the season at Fiorentina, leaving both the Italian club and Arsenal at a crossroads on what to do.
“Arsenal are the club pushing for the January transfer window,” Romano told CBS Sports.
“They are pushing and they have a good relationship with Fiorentina. So club by club, it’s not a problem.
“They are ready to make a big proposal, to include also Lucas Torreira into the deal. So there are many possibilities between clubs.
“But the real problem for Arsenal is to change Dusan Vlahovic’s mind because the player wants to stay at Fiorentina until the end of the season and then leave in the summer.
“He wants to take Fiorentina back to European football but he also wants a lot of money, him and his agents.
“And this is why at the moment Arsenal have still not made any progress in convincing Dusan Vlahovic.
“So I think it’s going to be super difficult to change the situation in the coming two weeks.”
Arsenal identify Frenkie De Jong as potential January signing
El Nacional has claimed that Arsenal could swoop in and steal Frenkie De Jong from under the nose of Chelsea, who have reportedly approached Barcelona with a £33 million transfer bid for the Dutchman.
It is believed that Chelsea’s recent successes may count for little if De Jong were to leave Barcelona in January, as the midfielder has expressed a deep admiration for Arsenal in the past.
Speaking to Voetbal International back in 2019 before his move to Barcelona, he said: “I actually thought Arsenal was pretty beautiful in the past.
“In my mind, I have had the following list for a long time: Ajax-Arsenal-Barcelona, call it the Marc Overmars route. But yes, if you can go directly to Barcelona, then you are also right where you want to be. Faster than you ever dared to dream.”
