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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Reiss Tigwell

Arsenal transfer round-up: Gunners on alert over striker as offer increased for forward

Arsenal will welcome Southampton to the Emirates on Saturday and it will be the perfect opportunity for Mikel Arteta's side to turn their form around.

The Gunners have been defeated in three of their last four games, but Southampton are in 16th and have lost four on the bounce.

But with the January transfer window set to open in just over three weeks time, Arteta will have ideas of any potential signings in the back of his mind.

It was a busy summer window for Arsenal, but plenty more names continue to be linked with moves to north London.

Here, Mirror Football brings you the latest gossip from the Emirates.

Gunners on alert over Felix

Joao Felix has been linked with a move to Arsenal (Getty Images)

Atletico Madrid have told Portuguese forward Joao Felix he can leave the club if a suitable offer arrives, according to reports.

Spanish outlet AS claim Atletico club president Gil Marin has informed Felix’s agent, Jorge Mendes, that the 22-year-old can depart if a big enough bid comes in.

MailOnline say Arsenal are one of four clubs placed on red alert over the news.

Have Your Say! Who do you think Arsenal will sign in January? Let us know in the comments here.

Felix joined Atletico in 2019 in a deal worth £119million, but the forward faces an uncertain future at the Wanda Metropolitano.

The Portugal international was left on the bench for Atletico’s recent Champions League clash against Porto on Tuesday, with Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann starting ahead of him.

Gunners up Vlahovic offer

Arsenal have reportedly increased their offer for Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic to €80 million (£68m).

Italian outlet Sport Mediaset say Arsenal have submitted an increased offer in an attempt to beat rivals to the Serbia international’s signature.

North London rivals Tottenham, Premier League champions Manchester City and Serie A duo Inter and Juventus have all been linked with moves to sign the 21-year-old.

The latest reports come after football journalist Fabrizio Romano said last month that Vlahovic wasn’t interested in a move to the Emirates.

“Arsenal are more than interested, they approached Fiorentina two weeks ago about the price and everything but the player is not interested,” he said on Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE.

“I’m told that his agents are not answering Arsenal’s calls. He doesn’t want to answer to Arsenal at the moment."

Vlahovic is currently joint-top scorer in Serie A with 13 goals, alongside Lazio forward Ciro Immobile.

The Fiorentina ace was on the scoresheet in the club’s 3-2 win over Bologna and has scored in La Viola’s last four matches.

Read more: Aubameyang left out of Arsenal squad due to disciplinary breach

Balogun ‘likely’ to leave on loan

Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun is expected to depart the Emirates on loan in the upcoming window.

That’s according to Arsenal academy coach Per Mertesacker who said he thinks it’s likely Balogun will be loaned out to gain some valuable experience.

“I think the closest, at the moment, to make that step is Flo Balogun," Mertesacker said when asked which young player fans should keep an eye on. He’s transferred in to the first-team dressing room.

“He still plays Under-23s football and probably most likely will go on loan in January because you need extra exposure to get to that next level so he needs to make that transition.”

Balogun made his full Premier League debut against Brentford back in August, but the 20-year-old’s first-team opportunities have been extremely limited since then.

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