Arsenal return to Premier League action this weekend after enduring a fraught international break packed with incidents.
Mohamed Elneny has returned from international duty with Covid-19, Thomas Partey picked up a thigh injury, Willian was reprimanded for making a trip to Dubai and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was forced to sleep on the floor of an airport while with Gabon.
Manager Mikel Arteta can turn his focus to football matters this weekend as the Gunners make a trip to face Leeds United at Elland Road on Sunday.
However, transfer plans are never far from the minds of Premier League managers, and with the January window getting ever closer Arsenal are bound to be considering their options.
With that in mind, here are the latest Arsenal transfer rumours.
Szoboszlai already under discussion
Dominik Szoboszlai is a name Arsenal fans are beginning to become very accustomed to, with the Hungarian midfielder heavily linked to the club.
The Red Bull Salzburg midfielder has won many admirers and is sure to be the subject of plenty of interest in January.
Szoboszlai has a €25million release clause, making him a particularly attractive option and Arsenal are reportedly ready to meet Salzburg’s asking price this winter.
According to The Athletic, the Arsenal ownership are prepared to make further investments to improve Arteta’s side and Szoboszlai has already been the subject of discussion among the technical staff and hierarchy.
Arsenal interested in Nuno Mendes
Another player linked with the Gunners is Sporting Lisbon left-back Nuno Mendes.
The 18-year-old is attracting attention from all over Europe and, according to Portuguese newspaper A Bola as reported by Calcio Mercato, Arsenal have already made enquiries about his availability.
It won’t be a straightforward move, however, with Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, AC Milan and Juventus also in pursuit.
Sporting are also reportedly trying to insert a €70m release clause in Mendes’ contract, so they are protected from losing him for a low fee.
How Arsenal missed out on Jota
Arsenal could have signed Liverpool star Diogo Jota at the start of his career, but were beaten to the punch by Atletico Madrid.
That is according to The Athletic, who report that Jota turned down “several offers” to move to Atletico from Pacos Ferreira in his native Portugal in 2016.
Along with West Ham, the Gunners were one of the clubs to scout Jota early on, but he chose the Spanish club because “their offer seemed serious to me”.
Jota went on to join Wolves in 2018, before making a £45million transfer to Liverpool in the summer.
