Arsenal are planning to sign a new centre-back this month before adding a second one in the summer transfer window, according to reports.
Gunners head coach Mikel Arteta is keen to strengthen his backline after the long-term injury to Calum Chambers, and the inconsistent form from his current defenders.
The north London side have been linked with a host of defenders including Bayern Munich's Jerome Boateng and RB Leipzig's Dayot Upamecano.
And according to the Daily Star, Arsenal are ready to make a move for Boateng in January, with the German seen as a short-term fix.
The report then claims that Arteta is prepared to launch a serious £50 million bid for Upamecano in the summer, with the Frenchman considered more of a long-term signing and potential future partner for William Saliba.
Arsenal will welcome back Saliba at the end of the season, with the teenage defender currently on loan at Saint-Etienne after signing for the Gunners in the summer.
Despite the links to Upamecano, some Arsenal supporters took to social media to urge the club to sign Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli.
Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have all recently been linked to the 28-year-old, and Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport claim PSG are in pole position after offering him a four-year deal on £10.2 million per season.
Napoli reportedly put a £100 million price tag on the player before the January window, which is likely to put him out of Arsenal's price range, but that hasn't stopped many fans from dreaming of a potential partnership of Koulibaly and Saliba.
On Reddit, one fan wrote: 'Imagine Koulibaly playing next to Saliba', while another posted: 'Napoli are trash now. if City don’t step in then I wouldn’t rule us out completely.'
Gunners boss Arteta has confirmed that he has a wishlist when it comes to the the January transfer window, but has denied that Arsenal are looking to sign Manchester City defender John Stones.
“I have. You need to have one always, just in case." Arteta said, when asked if he and Arsenal had a shortlist of players.
"It has to be the right player, in the right context that financially we can complete and we can attract and all these factors, if you put them together, are not easy in this market.
“[There is] No truth at all in John Stones. No truth in Franck Kessie.
“John is a player I really like. When I look at centre-backs he’s got many attributes I like but I’m not looking at him.”
