Arsenal can take advantage of Barcelona's contract uncertainty to sign one of their emerging young talents. With money set aside for Mykhaylo Mudryk in January there is a need to be efficient with spending to give the best chance of covering all bases in 2023 and that is the aim of Edu this month.
Youri Tielemans is another player with an expiring contract that Mikel Arteta could take advantage of. He is able to negotiate a pre-contract away from the club as he enters the final six months of his deal but it also throws up the chances of signing him early but for a reduced price, dangling the carrot for Leicester.
The same can be done to Barcelona, though their position is slightly stronger. 19-year-old left-back Alejandro Balde has a deal that has entered the final 18-months but the logic is still the same. Should Arsenal wait until the summer and risk him signing a new deal then there is added pressure on Barcelona to either sell him or ramp up negotiations to extend his deal.
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According to Nacional, Balde is seen as a player that Arteta can rely on in the future, especially considering the injury issues faced by Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney. With the strategy at the Emirates Stadium to buy young players and bed them in together, Balde certainly fits that bill.
Although he is inexperienced at senior level, playing just over 1,000 minutes, he has made 13 league appearances this season and notched three assists too. Xavi's side are keen to extend his deal but have financial issues which are set to continue and could delay proceedings.
There is a reported €35million (£31million) bid being prepared for the player should his situation not become clearer throughout the month, though convincing the player himself could also prove to be a challenge. Meanwhile the Spanish giants have set their stall out on another player of interest to them.
Ousmane Dembele has been linked with the Gunners ever since his move to Camp Nou and he became an option over the summer after failing to reach an initial agreement over his contract. The 25-year-old was briefly available as a free agent but resigned for Barcelona to end the doubts over his future.
However, with the financial turmoil set to rumble on it emerged in France that Paris Saint-Germain were keen to sign him. That has been put to rest though, ending any hopes of Arsenal finding an answer to their need for a new winger, with club president Joan Laporta saying: "If PSG or another club came to sign him we would tell them that he is not for sale. Right now he is one of the most important players we have with extraordinary speed.
"He is a lightning bolt. Every time he gets the ball he bursts forward and against Intercity he scored a great goal. He won’t leave for 70 million or any other amount."
Arsenal are looking to bring in Mudryk to strengthen their attacking depth but are also open to other players with Joao Felix coming in on a short-term loan also an option.
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