We are almost at the end of the second week of the January transfer window, and Arsenal have still only completed one signing.
Konstantinos Mavropanos, the Greek defender, remains the only Emirates Stadium arrival as of right now, though the better news is that Arsenal have not yet lost the services of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.
Various rumours and reports have emerged this week linking players with Arsenal, and Arsenal players with other clubs, but what do the latest transfer stories involving the Gunners say?
Malcom (Bordeaux) – click the right arrow to see the latest Arsenal transfer news – Arsenal are preparing a bid of around £45m for Malcom, the Bordeaux winger, as they seek to sign a replacement for Alexis Sanchez. The 20-year-old has been one of Europes best-performing attacking players in 2017-18, and has been touted as a target of Manchester United and Tottenham, as well as the Gunners. A left-footed player, Malcom has really found his feet this season, scoring seven goals and creating a further four with his exciting playing style that involves cutting in from the right wing to drive towards the oppositions goal. Di Marzio report Arsenal have already held talks with Malcoms agent.Francis Coquelin – Coquelin has completed a move to Valencia. The LaLiga club teased the signing of the French midfielder, 26, on Wednesday afternoon, and he has now signed a contract until 2022, with a release clause of 80million.Thomas Lemar (Monaco) – Arsenal will lead the race for Lemar, the Monaco and France midfielder, should Alexis Sanchez leave the Emirates this month. The Gunners failed to sign Lemar on deadline day of the summer transfer window, despite submitting a £90m bid, and reports claim Liverpool want to take him to Anfield to replace Philippe Coutinho. However, the 21-year-old is expected to sign for Arsenal if Sanchez leaves the club, with RMC suggesting they could pay as little as £61m for him.Alexis Sanchez – The latest news in the ongoing Sanchez transfer saga has Arsene Wenger admitting he wants the Chile attacker to stay at the Emirates, whether that means he signs a new contact now, or at the end of the Premier League season. His existing deal expires at the end of 2017-18, and Manchester City have been attempting to sign him since the summer. Reports on Thursday emerged claiming Manchester United have also submitted an offer for him as they hope to hijack Citys move, and could offer Henrikh Mkhitaryan in exchange.Theo Walcott – Many players are expected to leave Arsenal this month, and Theo Walcott is one of those. The Daily Mail report on Thursday that Everton are favourites to sign the 28-year-old and will offer him wages of around £110,000-per-week, though Southampton are also keen on the winger. The deal to take Walcott away from the Emirates is reportedly set to be worth £20m.Rafinha (Barcelona) – Spanish news outlet Sport reveal Arsenal have approached Rafinha of Barcelona over a potential January move to the Emirates. He has not made a single appearance this season due to a knee problem, and has been pushed out the first-team picture following the arrival of Philippe Coutinho at Camp Nou. The 24-year-old is seen by Arsenal as a replacement for Mesut Ozil, who has yet to tie his future to the Gunners with his contract expiring at the end of 2017-18. Celta Vigo and Inter Milan are also known to be tracking Rafinha in the January window.Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City) – Arsenal have been keeping tabs on Mahrez, the Leicester winger, as they prepare for life without Alexis Sanchez. He is seen as one of their priority targets along with Thomas Lemar though Liverpool are also said to be keen on the Algeria international. There are suggestions Mahrez could turn down a move to Arsenal, however, as he is waiting on a better offer in the summer 2018 transfer window.
