Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal head coach, is still waiting to seal his first signing since landing the Gunners post last month, with now just four days of the transfer window remaining.
After safely navigating their way through to the FA Cup fifth-round last night, beating AFC Bournemouth 2-1, all of the Gunners’ focus will now be on Friday - transfer deadline day.
The Gunners are hopeful of getting a deal for Flamengo defender Pablo Mari back on track, with talks understood to have hit the buffers over the past 48 hours.
Meanwhile, there continue to be whispers about the Gunners possibly landing Colombian star James Rodriguez from Real Madrid. Here, we round up the day's latest Arsenal transfer news.
Matviyenko deal agreed
The Gunners are close to completing the signing of Shakhtar Donetsk centre-back Mykola Matviyenko, it is reported.
Arsenal are desperate to add some fresh meat to their defensive line and they are hopeful of landing the Ukranian, with The Express reporting that Arsenal have agreed the deal.
Arsenal do have other irons in the fire when it comes to bolstering the centre of their defensive, as they remain keen on Flamengo’s Pablo Mari.
Shock move for Saints defender
Arsenal are considering a late January transfer window move for Southampton right-back Cedric Soares, according to The Telegraph.
Soares is out-of-contract at St Mary’s this summer, meaning he would be available at a cheaper price as Arteta looks to bolster his defence.
The Gunners’ chances of landing Soares may be boosted even further due to Southampton’s interest in bringing in Tottenham Hotspur’s Kyle Walker-Peters.
Barcelona continue striker hunt
Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continues to be linked with Spanish giants Barcelona, with the La Liga club wanting to sign a striker ahead of Friday’s deadline.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has confirmed that the Catalan club want to sign a striker to cover the injured Luis Suarez, meaning Aubameyang could be an ideal replacement.
But the chances of Barcelona managing to get a deal done for the former Borussia Dortmund man seems slim right now.
