Mikel Arteta admits getting Gabriel Magalhaes' transfer over the line is "not easy" but they are confident the deal will get done.
The Lille defender is leaving the Ligue 1 outfit and has attracted interest from around Europe.
Arsenal look to be closing in on a £27m deal having fought off competition from Napoli for the Brazilian.
A five-year deal is close to being signed but the fine elements of the transfer still need to be ironed out according to the Arsenal boss.
“Regarding Gabriel we can’t announce anything yet, the deal is not finalised,” said Arteta. “You all know that he is a player that we follow for a long time and hopefully we can get it done.
“Everything is OK when both parties sign, the club and the player agrees the terms and he goes through the medical.
"Sometimes that in the last final stages is not as easy as it looks, but again we are pretty positive that we can do it.
“He’s a player we followed and were very determined that he was the right profile for us to improve our squad and if we are able to finalise it we will be delighted.
"We are trying to finalise the deal, that’s what I can tell you at the moment.”
Magalhaes was a stand out performer for Lille last term and is set to bolster a Gunners defence that has struggled for some time.
The arrival of William Saliba is also going to be a huge plus for Arteta who is looking to build on a positive finish to their season.
He delivered the FA Cup and has gone about shaping his squad at the Emirates in his first summer at the helm.
Arsenal are still unclear on where the future of leading goalscorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang lies with his contract into its final year.
