The Gunners are well known to be operating close to the edge with regards to Financial Fair Play restrictions. Arsenal spent north of £200m over the summer, with Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber the headline arrivals.
David Raya also signed up, though initially via the loan route. That method of arrival was sanctioned to ensure Arsenal did not fall foul of FFP.
As such, Arsenal are working with a shoestring budget this month and any major arrivals can only be made if funding is freed up through player sales.
Aaron Ramsdale, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah have all been linked with leaving the club. Those players in particular could each generate sizeable fees.
Elsewhere, permanent exits for lesser-heralded stars such as Cedric Soares, Nuno Tavares (currently loaned to Nottingham Forest) and Mohamed Elneny could be explored.
But according to a fresh update from The Mirror, Arsenal are ‘in no rush’ to let the higher profile stars such as Ramsdale, Smith Rowe and Nketiah leave this window.
As such, any incoming is likely to be via the loan route and the report states a new left-back is now the No 1 priority.
Oleksandr Zinchenko has produced error-strewn displays of late, while Jakub Kiwior always looks out of place when deputising at left-back.
Takehiro Tomiyasu can cover on the left side, though will soon be absent while away with Japan at the Asian Cup.
Summer signing Timber could have lightened the load on Zinchenko, though remains sidelined after suffering an ACL injury on opening day.
As such, a new option at left-back is wanted and the Mirror state Arsenal have already begun to actively sound out potential options.
No specific names were mentioned in the piece, though more detail was provided on Arsenal’s grand summer plans.
Arsenal working on £193m triple raid
Indeed, the Mirror claimed that while the January window is shaping up to be a quiet one, Arsenal’s summer window will be anything but.
At that stage, the Gunners could reportedly be more willing to entertain offers for highly saleable assets such as Ramsdale, Smith Rowe and Nketiah. Their sales would greatly boost the club’s spending power and a gargantuan triple swoop is wanted.
A new central midfielder, winger and striker are all in Arsenal’s crosshairs. Per the report, plans for a lavish summer spend are already being formulated.
On the subject of who will be targeted, Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, Wolves winger Pedro Neto and Brentford hitman Ivan Toney are all wanted.
Zubimendi’s current contract contains a release clause worth roughly £53m. Arsenal’s dream signing in central midfield is Douglas Luiz, though prising him out of Aston Villa is beginning to look impossible.
Zubimendi is seemingly the next best option in Arsenal’s eyes and the 24-year-old Spain international has been on Arsenal’s radar for multiple years.
Neto, meanwhile, would finally add much-needed stiff competition for Bukayo Saka on the right flank. Per Football London, the electric Portugal winger will cost around £60m to sign.
The trifecta could be completed by way of plucking Ivan Toney from Brentford. Toney’s mark of 20 league goals last season was bettered only by Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.
Toney is less than two weeks away from returning to competitive football following an eight-month ban for breaching betting regulations.
The clause would be set in the £80m range and would be a pre-cursor to a summer switch. Signing Toney, Neto and Zubimendi would cost Arsenal roughly £193m in combined fees.
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