Arsenal have been given a boost in their attempts to sign Shakhtar Donetsk winger Manor Solomon.
As reported by football.london, the Isreal international is highly interested in the idea of a move to the Gunners, but a source close to the player admitted "there is still a long way to go" before a move happens.
Furthermore, football.london understands that Pini Zahavi is involved in talks between club and player as the Israeli 'super agent' is reportedly in touch with Arsenal technical director Edu.
It should be pointed out that Zahavi is not Solomon's representative but would be acting as an intermediary between the two parties as the player is already registered to Israeli agents Shlomy Ben Ezra and Gilad Katsav.
With that said, it is thought the player would prefer a move in the summer so that he is able to join up with Mikel Arteta's squad for preseason training.
However, it has been suggested that a transfer could happen in the January window.
If that is the case, could Solomon feature in the Europa League for Arsenal when the competition resumes with a round of 32 clash against Benfica next month?
Well, as per UEFA's announcement regarding a series of changes to the format of its European club competitions that came into effect at the start of the 2018/19 season, the answer is yes.
This is because the biggest overhaul involved player registrations.
It was announced that up to three January signings will be allowed to play for their new clubs during the knockout stages of the Champions League and Europa League, without restrictions.
That means that players will be able to represent two different clubs in the same competition from next season.
So despite the 21-year-old featuring in the Champions League for Shakhtar this season, he could help Arsenal's quest to return to the competition should a move go through this month.
Interestingly, this rule change came into effect after Arsenal signed Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang in the 2018 January transfer window.
At the time, the striker was unable to feature in the Europa League as he had featured for Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League during the first half of the 2017/18 season.
Former Gunners manager Arsene Wenger bemoaned the rule, but current boss Mikel Arteta won't have to face the same situation if he adds Solomon to his squad this month.
