The transfer rumour mill surrounding Jude Bellingham continues to spin, with the Borussia Dortmund midfielder wanted by many top European clubs. Real Madrid, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea are all in the running to sign Bellingham, and Arsenal has now become a possible transfer destination.
Mikel Arteta's side have shot to the top of the Premier League table, winning 12 of their 14 league games, scoring 33 goals and keeping seven clean sheets in the process after they stretched their lead at the top to five points following their 2-0 win over Wolves.
January is set to be an important month for the Gunners as they likely target another central midfielder and attacker to boost Arteta's squad in the hopes of pushing Manchester City all the way for the Premier League title.
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When asked if the squad is short, Arteta said: "It is short, and we have used players like, for example, Marquinhos, who we had other plans, but he has been an important player and a player who has the capacity. We have had injuries as well.
"Mo [Elneny] has been out for three months, Thomas [Partey] was out for a period, and we had Alex [Zinchenko] out for a long time too. We have had to adapt, and we are willing to do that. The demands are going to be really big for everybody, and we have to be ready for that."
By mentioning the injuries, Arsenal suffered in midfield, it's clear to see Arteta likely wants more options at the centre-point of the spine of his team and a move for Bellingham, which may have been seen as ludicrous at the start of the season, could be exactly what Arsenal need.
There is, of course, significant competition from elsewhere, and Arsenal will likely be engaged in a transfer battle for Bellingham soon after the comments made by Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke suggesting talks will place about his future at the end of the World Cup.
Liverpool and Manchester City will likely be intrigued by those talks, but former Chelsea defender Scott Minto suggests he could choose Arsenal over the top two Premier League teams over the last few years.
Speaking to Ladbrokes, Minto said: "Up until the start of this season, everybody was saying he's Liverpool's player because they were right up there with Manchester City. But I'm still wondering whether or not they're going to make the top four.
"He's good enough to play a key role for the very best teams in the world, and the very best team for me is Manchester City, but if Arsenal can finish in the top four, or better still, in second place, or even go on to win the title, then all of a sudden they become as attractive a proposition as City, just like that.
"When you look at what that team is all about under Mikel Arteta, and there'd be a need for them to strengthen if they're playing on Europe's biggest stage, why couldn't they go and get a Bellingham?"
German news outlet Sport Bild, they report Bellingham's representatives are demanding a "concrete offer" from one of the three English clubs linked with him. It says only then will Bellingham make a decision on which club he wishes to join. It has been claimed that "many players" at the Bundesliga club are annoyed by the teenager's "sometimes derogatory body language" on the pitch. Further claims made in the article have stated that the decision by Dortmund to make Bellingham the third-choice captain was seen as "controversial".
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