Arsenal face two hurdles in the transfer of Douglas Luiz as Mikel Arteta’s priority emerges.
Arsenal are weighing up their options ahead of the January transfer window and midfield could be an area of concern if they decide to spend big.
Arsenal are looking to add reinforcements to Mikel Arteta’s midfield options in the January transfer window.
Injuries to Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey have the left the Gunners light in the middle of the pitch despite the arrival of Kai Havertz and Declan Rice for a combined fee of £170million in the summer.
Despite the flurry of injury concerns at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal remain just a single point behind Premier League leaders Manchester City.
Reports last week stated Arsenal were now considering reigniting their interest in Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz ahead of January.
Partey will have just 12 months left on his contract in the summer, and Arsenal open to offers for the 30-year-old.
Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny’s contracts will expire at the end of the season.
There is an option to extend the player’s contract for another 12 months, but Arsenal are surveying the market for their central midfielder’s future.
It is clear that new signings will be needed in midfield over the next 12 months and Luiz is one of the players being considered, while football.london understands that Martin Zubimendi has been attracting interest for some time .
The Spain international has a release clause in his contract worth 60 million euros (£52 million).
However, he is said to be happy at Real Sociedad and does not want to leave in January as things stand.
If the Gunners continue to recruit Luiz, the Brazilian midfielder will have to try to find a way to leave Villa Park because Unai Emery’s team has no intention of buying this 25-year-old player.
Luiz is represented by Kia Joorabchian, who has a close relationship with Arsenal’s sporting director, but a mid-season deal still looks extremely complicated given Villa’s impressive start to the season and would likely have to pay a hefty fee to be able to consider changing your position.
