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Arsenal are looking for new faces in the January transfer window. Manager Mikel Arteta has taken his team atop the Premier League this season but may need reinforcements to sustain their stranglehold on the league.
Meanwhile, journalist Christian Falk has said that the Gunners are interested in Evan Ndicka. Elsewhere, the north London side are unlikely to sign a Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder, according to journalist Dean Jones.
On that note, here's a look at the key Arsenal transfer stories as on January 8, 2023:
Arsenal interested in Evan Ndicka, says Christian Falk
Arsenal are among the clubs monitoring Evan Ndicka with interest, according to Christian Falk.
The French defender is in the final year of his contract with Eintracht Frankfurt but is yet to commit his future to the club. His contract situation has alerted the Gunners, who're looking to bring in a new defender to the Emirates.
In his column for Caught Offside, Falk said that Frankfurt have offered Ndicka a new contract.
"Evan Ndicka has an offer from Frankfurt – a three-year extension specifically. I think there’s a good chance that he’ll sign this contract, but there are many clubs interested at the moment; one of them is Arsenal. It’s not so concrete that Frankfurt are really afraid of losing him," wrote Falk.
He added:
“They also know what his qualities are at the moment, so perhaps it’s too much of a big step for him at this point. They hope that they will sign him up on another contract. Arsenal, Tottenham and AC Milan – I think they’re all talking to the agent, but it’s not massively concrete at the moment as Gladbach are confident about their chances of extending his contract "
Ndicka has appeared 23 times for Frankfurt this season across competitions, registering one assist.
Gunners unlikely to sign Alexis Mac Allister, says Dean Jones
The Gunners are unlikely to sign Alexis Mac Allister this month, according to Dean Jones.
The Argentinean midfielder is hot property on the European football circuit after helping his nation win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. With Arteta expected to invest in his midfield in 2023, the 24-year-old has emerged as an option.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones said that Youri Tielemans is a more realistic target for the north London side.
"The way we have to look at this right now is that Mac Allister isn’t going to be leaving; that just seems to be the underlying truth from a Brighton point of view. And so, he might be at the moment the more exciting player to come in, but he’s probably more unrealistic than anybody else, say a Tielemans, also coming through," said Jones.
Mac Allister has appeared 16 times for Brighton & Hove Albion this season, scoring seven goals.
Arsenal optimistic about securing Mykhaylo Mudryk, says Ben Jacobs
The Gunners remain optimistic about securing the signature of Mykhaylo Mudryk, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
The Ukrainian has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates this month, but the Gunners have failed to get a deal across the line. Chelsea's entry into the race will also have caused Arteta quite a few worries.
However, speaking to Give Me Sport, Jacobs said that the north London side still believe they're in control of the situation.
"That was never ultimately Arsenal’s intent to get sucked into a bidding war, and I think that’s why they still feel in control of the situation. There is optimism from Arsenal’s end that they can still get to a deal that has what Shakhtar want upfront which is at least €55m (£48m), plus add-ons taking it above €70m and maybe even a little bit more," said Jacobs.
He continued:
"If they get to that package of €70m/€75m (£61m/£66m) but with a strong structure, then I think the feeling from Arsenal’s perspective is that Shakhtar might sanction that sale, and do so within the next week or so.”
Mudryk has appeared 18 times across competitions for Shakhtar Donetsk this season, registering ten goals and eight assists.
