Neck-and-neck with Manchester City this season, Arsenal have a great chance to take the No. 1 position in the table with a win over West Bromwich Albion this weekend.
Arsene Wenger appears ready to make some serious moves to get his club into contention during the January transfer window, and we’ll take a look at some of the latest rumours to come down the wire.
Here is Friday’s Arsenal transfer gossip and news:
1. Vlad the Teenager
According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal have promoted Vlad Dragomir to the first team and he has performed remarkably well in practice so far.
The 16-year-old Dragomir, who moved to the Emirates Stadium this summer in a £100,000 deal, is the captain of the Romania Under-16 team and has performed well for Arsenal’s Under-18 side.
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2. Transfer war for Michy Batshuayi
Atletico Madrid have reportedly entered the bidding for Marseille striker Michy Batshuayi, putting them in direct competition with Arsenal. The reported transfer fee will be in the area of £35 million.
Batshuayi has scored nine goals in 16 appearances so far, adding an additional three assists along the way. However, the team owner is hesitant to let the 22-year-old leave before hearing offers from all of the interested top-15 clubs.
3. Barcelona look to hijack Florenzi transfer
Arsene Wenger has been interested in Alessandro Florenzi for a long time, but his patience may prove costly as Barcelona look poised to swoop in on the versatile star.
The Daily Express reported that Barcelona are looking at Florenzi to potentially replace Dani Alves.
4. Bookies slash odds on Lionel Messi to Arsenal
With legal issues in Spain jeopardizing his future with Barcelona, four-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi is believed to be interested in a transfer to Arsenal and the bookies are starting to take bets on a possible move.
Reports which only weeks ago had the odds at 16/1 on Messi’s transfer have plummeted to just 5/1.
Messi is facing charges of tax fraud in Spain along with his father Jorge Messi.
5. Bad weather = No Krychowiak
Long considered a target for an Arsenal transfer, Sevilla midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak laughed off the possibility of a move to Emirates Stadium – and the rest of England as well.
According to Bleacher Report, Krychowiak cited the bad weather in England as a huge turn off for him.