Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has previously made it clear that he wants to bring in some reinforcements this month and as per various reports, the signing of a central midfielder remains a top priority.
The Gunners are really flimsy in that department as their manager has been trying to secure an upgrade to Granit Xhaka for more than a year now. Arsenal had been linked with multiple targets during the summer and the same seems to be the case this month as well.
According to multiple sources, the North London side are currently scouting as many as four central midfielders and they are confident they will be able to land one of them before the transfer window shuts down.
Here are the midfielders that the Gunners are reportedly after:
Youri Tielemans – Leicester City:
Youri Tielemans has been tipped to leave Leicester City and even Brendan Rodgers has admitted that the midfielder has exhibited a desire to move out.
He could be the most straightforward target for the Gunners but heavyweights like Liverpool and Manchester City are also interested in him and if either one of them decides to move for him then the North London side will be chasing a lost cause.
🚨Liverpool and Manchester City are the clubs most interested in signing contracts with Youri Tielemans.
👀Real Madrid, Arsenal and Barcelona are also monitoring Tielemans' situation.
#MCFC #LFC #LCFC #HalaMadrid #Gooners #ForçaBarça pic.twitter.com/3oNQhKES3z
— Ekrem KONUR (@Ekremkonur) January 26, 2022
Ruben Neves – Wolves:
Arsenal had tried to sign the Wolves midfielder last year as well and it looks like they have reignited their interest in the 24-year-old.
Neves is one of the best players in his position so it will be really hard for the Gunners to convince both Wolves as well as the players to shift loyalties during the middle of the season.
His current deal expires in 2024 so Wolves have no reason to hit the panic button right now.
Douglas Luiz – Aston Villa:
Mikel Arteta rates Luiz highly and even Pep Guardiola had once tried to sign him for Manchester City. If someone like Guardiola was interested it’s pretty obvious Arteta will also want him as his midfield general at Arsenal.
His current market value is well within Arsenal’s reach but right now he’s being managed by Steven Gerrard at Villa so there’s a big question mark if the new boss will want to sell someone as influential as Douglas Luiz when he’s still rebuilding the side.
Arthur Melo – Juventus:
Arsenal director Edu had held a meeting with Melo’s agent earlier this month but since then no optimistic news has come out from those talks.
Dust had properly settled on this transfer gossip over the previous few days but with the transfer window coming to a close some rumours claim that the Gunners are once again pushing to sign the 25-year-old on a loan deal for the remainder of the season.
