Arsenal transfer news round-up: Kenan Yildiz, Davide Bartesaghi and more as Mikel Arteta braces for busy January | OneFootball

Mounting injuries may force Arsenal to dip into the January transfer market as they look to keep up the pace in their Premier League title charge.

The Gunners go into the new year at the top of the pile but will know all too well that such a position does not guarantee success come May, with Pep Guardiola’s revitalised Manchester City breathing down their necks.

After a busy summer that saw the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi and Eberechi Eze arrive for big fees, Mikel Arteta will be confident his Arsenal squad is capable of winning a first league title since the ‘Invincibles’ of 2003/04.

But with injuries not letting up, with Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori the latest to be sidelined, new recruits could come to boost the league leaders ahead of a crucial second half of the season.

When asked if Arteta has space in his squad for new signings, he said: "Depending, as I said, on the availability of certain players. The window is there. We're Arsenal. Now, we have to be looking at it.”

Here are the latest stories surrounding the transfer market at the Emirates:

Sky Sports initially reported that Arsenal were likely to be quiet in January after spending in excess of £250m on new arrivals in the summer, bolstering a squad that has so far lived up to Arsenal’s title ambitions. The club is claimed to be confident with the resources that it has, feeling the squad is capable of going one better than their three consecutive second-place finishes by winning the Premier League.

However, this stance appears to have shifted after Mikel Arteta’s recent comments, which saw him reveal that the club are prepared to ease their persisting injury problems by "actively looking" at signing new players when the transfer window reopens next month.

Defensive quartet Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera were all unavailable for Arsenal's nervy win over Brighton on Saturday, and Arteta could therefore look to reinforce his back line, with Sky Sports adding that AC Milan’s 20-year-old left-back Davide Bartesaghi has been scouted, a player that has been compared to Paolo Maldini.

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Arsenal have sent scouts to watch AC Milan’s Davide Bartesaghi (Getty Images)

Arsenal are constantly looking at the European market for young players with a high ceiling so would be more likely to acquire players that fall under that category. The Gunners also have a “concrete interest” in highly-rated Eintracht Frankfurt forward Jean-Matteo Bahoya, according to Florian Plettenberg, while also sending scouts to watch Elche midfielder Rodrigo Mendoza.

But while the acquisition of elite players or long-term targets is rare in the mid-season window, it is not completely out of the question, with Italian media reporting that the Gunners are heavily interested in Juventus star Kenan Yildiz. The 20-year-old Turkish international is one of the most exciting young attacking players in Europe but is reported to be stalling over a contract extension in Turin, leading to many continental heavyweights such as Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid to circle.

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Kenan Yildiz is one of the most sought-after players in Europe (REUTERS)

Antoine Semenyo has meanwhile been linked with all of the Premier League’s biggest hitters and despite being an Arsenal fan, a January move for him is not viewed as being realistic by Arsenal. The Independent understands Manchester City lead the race for the Bournemouth winger, who has a £65m release clause.

The likes of Bayern Munich superstar Michael Olise, AC Milan winger Rafael Leao and wantaway Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi - who Bild report wants to move to a metropolis to appease his girlfriend - have also appeared in Arsenal gossip columns, though nothing concrete has emerged surrounding these rumours as of yet.

The Standard note there has been talk of sending Ethan Nwaneri out on loan, with the 18-year-old having only started three matches this season.

With no big names out of contract in the summer, there aren’t any players that Arsenal will be scrambling to tie down in the coming weeks and months.