Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham has confirmed the club are ready to back Mikel Arteta in the transfer market this month - but also stressed that the Gunners are "happy" to work with their current squad instead of overpaying for targets.
Arteta's men are currently five points clear of Manchester City at the summit of the Premier League following their sensational start to the season, and the Spaniard would like to supplement his squad in the January transfer window to keep their unlikely title dream alive.
The Gunners are in the market for attacking reinforcements and have been locked in talks with Shakhtar Donetsk over a deal for winger Mykhaylo Mudryk, who is believed to be their top target. Another striker could also be on the agenda after summer signing Gabriel Jesus underwent knee surgery last month.
Arteta has previously indicated that the club are looking to make signings this month. That stance has been backed by Venkatesham, but he insists Arsenal have a squad capable of contending with or without additions.
"We’ve got a very clear plan, headed up by Edu, in terms of what we want to do to strengthen the squad," Venkatesham told Sky Sports. "Every transfer window of course, we’re going to look to see what opportunities are out there.
"If something makes sense from a technical perspective and a financial perspective, of course, we'll look at it but we're happy with the squad that we've got. We'll have a look around like we do in every transfer window but we've got a long-term plan."
Arsenal's pursuit of Mudryk has dominated the early weeks of the transfer window and the Gunners have already seen two bids for the coveted Ukrainian winger rebuffed.
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It is anticipated that Arsenal will continue to push for Mudryk's signature; however, Venkatesham was reluctant to discuss any specific individuals when he was asked for an update on the Shakhtar star. He added: "We’re not going to talk about specific players."
The Ukrainian giants are demanding in excess of £88million for Mudryk's services this month: a figure that may ultimately prove to be too rich for both Arsenal and Chelsea, who are also admirers of Mudryk.
It is believed that Shakhtar's demands could be linked to a FIFA ruling that was passed in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. As highlighted by The Independent, Shakhtar may have already lost millions of pounds in potential sales after FIFA ruled that foreigners at Ukrainian clubs could suspend their contracts due to the war.
Already, the likes of Tete, Maycon, Vinicius Tobias and Vitao have departed Shakhtar. And although there is the possibility they could return if and when the war in Ukraine ends, there are no guarantees.
