Arsenal edge closer to completing transfer of Italian midfielder with £26 million release clause - Reports 

Premier League leaders Arsenal are reportedly looking to add to their midfield with the signing of Vitoria Guimaraes midfielder Ibrahima Bamba.

Portuguese outlet Jornal de Noticias have claimed that the Gunners are 'in the front line' to complete the deal for Bamba.

The Italian youngster primarily plays as a defensive midfielder but can also fill in at centre-back. The Gunners are closing in on a deal worth £26 million, which is the player's release clause. The rumors were fuelled by the player's agent being spotted in London. The report adds that a transfer could be 'imminent'.

Bamba has made 23 appearances for Vit. Guimaraes across competitions this season.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has publicly spoken about the need for a central midfielder. This is something the club have been looking at since the summer transfer window.

With Mohammed Elneny suffering from a knee injury, Arteta admitted that they needed to strengthen that part of the squad. Speaking at a press conference, he said:

“Well, we need some more cover in midfield ideally if we can. In this market, it’s pretty complicated to do that. The most important thing is that we get the performances and the time on the pitch that we need with the players we have available today that are already really good."

He added:

“If there’s anything else available that can make us better we’ll look at it. I don’t think he (Mohamed Elneny) will be [available for Friday]. He had some issues with his knee that we are assessing at the moment and we will have to see how he evolves in the next couple of days."

Arsenal have already signed two players in the January window - Leandro Trossard from Brighton & Hove Albion and Jakub Kiwior from Spezia. They, however, missed out on signing Mykhaylo Mudryk, who joined Chelsea.

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Arsenal monitoring situation of Barcelona attacker

Ferran Torres has been put up for sale by Barcelona.

Arsenal are among the Premier League sides interested in signing Barcelona winger Ferran Torres.

According to Spanish outlet Sport, the La Liga giants are looking to offload the winger due to their financial troubles. The Gunners and rivals Tottenham Hotspur have been named as potential destinations for the player.

Torres joined Barcelona from Manchester City in January 2022 in a deal worth about £50 million. He has scored 12 goals in 49 appearances for the Blaugrana.

Although he is favored by manager Xavi Hernandez, they are looking to extend the contract of the likes of Gavi, Ronald Araujo, and Alejandro Balde. This is not possible without making some financial adjustments.

The report also adds that a deal could be struck for somewhere around £37.6 million for the player.