Arsenal Transfer News Roundup: Former player backs Gunners to seal cut-price January move for Aston Villa midfielder; Nicolas Pepe took pay cut to leave Emirates, and more - September 16, 2022

Arsenal will next face Brentford in the Premier League on Sunday (September 18) at the Gtech Community Stadium. Mikel Arteta's team are atop the standings after winning five of their opening six games.

Meanwhile, former Gunners striker Kevin Campbell has backed the club to sign an Aston Villa midfielder on a cut-price deal in January. Elsewhere, Nicolas Pepe took a pay cut to move to Nice on loan this summer.

On that note, here's a look at the key Arsenal transfer stories as on September 16, 2022:

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Kevin Campbell backs Arsenal to seal cut-price January move for Douglas Luiz

Douglas Luiz has admirers at the Emirates.

Kevin Campbell reckons Arsenal could secure a cut-price deal for Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz in January. The Gunners were eager to sign the Brazilian midfielder this summer but failed do so on deadline day.

However, Campbell believes his former club could sign Luiz for a reduced fee in January, as he's in the final few months of his contract.

"Here is the problem for Aston Villa: Luiz wanted to go to Arsenal but the club dug their heels in. The deal did not get done. When we get to January, there will only be five months of the season left. Arsenal will not pay £20million to sign a player who is out of contract in a few months. It will be a cut-price deal," said Campbell.

Campbell added that if Villa play hard ball, the Gunners could sign the 24-year-old player for free next summer.

“Villa know that they have got to get themselves in a position come January. You do not sell players when you are struggling in the Premier League. There is definitely a deal to be done in January if Villa are willing to play ball. If they are not, Arsenal may look to get him on a free next summer," said Campbell.

He added:

“We know how quickly things in football can change. Somebody else might become available. We will have to wait and see."

Douglas Luiz has appeared six times for the Villans this season and has registered two goals.

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Nicolas Pepe took pay cut to leave Emirates

Nicolas Pepe (left) left the Emirates on loan this summer.

Nicolas Pepe took a pay cut to leave Arsenal and join Nice, according to L'Equipe via Sport Witness.

The Cote d'Ivoire forward was an isolated figure recently at the Emirates and was eager to leave in search of regular football. The Gunners also wanted to offload the player, with the club eventually agreeing to send him out on loan to Nice.

It now appears Pepe took a 25% pay cut to facilitate the move. The Ivorian was enticed by Nice's proposal and made a monetary sacrifice to help the deal cross the line. The loan move doesn't have an option to buy for Nice, though.

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Gunners have chance to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk, says Fabrizio Romano

Mykhaylo Mudryk is wanted at the Emirates.

The Gunners have a chance to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk in the future, according to acclaimed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. The Ukrainian winger has earned rave reviews with his performances for Shakhtar Donetsk.

Speaking recently, Romano said that the Gunners monitored the player in the summer but balked at his asking price.

“I think, in the future, there is a chance for Arsenal but not only Arsenal. In August, they had some conversations with the agents of Mudryk. But then, when they knew about the price tag, way more than €30m (£26m), they decided not to bid," said Romano.

The Italian added that there's already a beeline for Mudryk's services.

"There are many clubs in the race (to sign him). When I was speaking to my sources during the summer about Mudryk with clubs around Europe, they told me from Shakhtar, they really think this guy is worth way more than €30m," said Romano.

Mudryk has scored two goals and set up two more in two games in the UEFA Champions League this season.