As January approaches, Arsenal are being linked with more and more players.

Players, players everywhere…

It was expected that the club would do little-if-any business when the January transfer window opened, but Danny Welbeck’s injury and Aaron Ramsey’s contract status means we will likely see some action when it all springs to life.

What that means is that speculation is rife and Arsenal, who are said to have a limited transfer budget, will be spending around £17kazillion on all the players.

Let’s take a look at some of the links:

Arsenal ‘thinking of paying’ €40m release clause for Mario Hermoso in January

Arsenal are considering paying the €40m release clause for Espanyol defender Mario Hermoso in January, according to reports in Spain.

Hermoso joined Espanyol from Real Madrid in 2017, having never appeared for Madrid’s first team after coming through their academy. Since then, the 23-year-old has made a name for himself in La Liga, to the point that he’s just received his first call-up and cap for the Spanish national team.

https://twitter.com/SeFutbol/status/1060480390283046913

Suddenly, there are rumours that Real Madrid want to activate their buy-back clause of €7.5m. However, Arsenal are also very interested, according to a report from Marca. They wouldn’t have the same cut-price option as Real, but they could choose to pay Hermoso’s €40m release clause, and they’re considering doing so in January.

If they did, half of that fee would go to Madrid anyway, as per the terms of Hermoso’s original sale.

Hermoso has played every minute of Espanyol’s league campaign so far, scoring a couple of goals and helping them keep five clean sheets in their run-up to fifth in the table (above Real).

It’s no surprise the big clubs are starting to take an interest, and that interest will only increase now that the Spaniard has made his international debut.

Arsenal make ‘concrete contact’ with Real Madrid over Isco: They want €70m

Arsenal have made ‘concrete contact’ with Real Madrid over Isco, with the La Liga club willing to sell as long as there is an offer of at least €70m (£62.1m).

Spanish outlet Don Balon report that Arsenal, Milan and Napoli are all interested in the 26-year-old. However, in making contact with Real Madrid over the player, none of the three clubs indicated they were willing to offer more than €50m (£44.4m), €20m below the asking price.

CalcioMercato.it write that after dropping to the bench for half of Real’s league matches this season, Isco could well decide he’s better off leaving in January, but he’s ‘more likely’ to do so in the summer.

In all competitions this season, Isco has two goals and one assist from 13 appearances (eight starts). Real Madrid have suffered when he’s not around though, losing the only Champions League game he missed and failing to win in three games when he was out of league action with appendicitis.

Isco is a fantastic dribbler and chance creator, so he’d fit perfectly into an Arsenal side that has lacked both of those things this season. The transfer still seems like a bit of a long-shot right now, considering the sources reporting it. Still, if Aaron Ramsey leaves in January, Isco would make an excellent replacement.

Arsenal scout Aaron Ramsey replacement who turned down move to Liverpool

Arsenal are reportedly tracking Lyon’s midfielder, Houssem Aouar.

In terms of names being linked with Arsenal as we approach the winter transfer window, Houssem Aouar is a new one that only appeared last week.

The 20-year-old French-Algerian midfielder signed a new contract with Lyon in the summer, tying him to the club until 2023 meaning that any move for him will require a decent transfer fee. That could well rule Arsenal out as they look for bargains in this window. With Chelsea also said to be interested, Arsenal’s chances of landing the right-footer would seem slim.

With five goals and four assists in 19 games this season from a central midfield role (with occasional forays on the left), the 5’7” is well on course to beat his goals and assist tally from last season and we haven’t even got out of 2018 (7 goals, 6 assists, 44 appearances).

According to a report that appeared in the media recently, Liverpool are also interested in signing Aouar but he has already turned down a move to Anfield once, just before signing his new deal with Lyon.

Aouar’s passing ability means that he could be a good Aaron Ramsey replacement and he certainly has some of the hallmarks of a midfielder who could fill that role.

Arsenal’s interest in Ezri Konsa stems from club ‘prioritising young English talent’

Arsenal want to sign 21-year-old Brentford defender Ezri Konsa for £15m in January, according to reports in the English media.

The Mirror write that Konsa has impressed Arsenal scouts in recent months, so much so that the club are planning a bid in January. The young centre-back played 90 minutes in Brentford’s clash with the Gunners in September, so Unai Emery and his team have already had the chance to see him up close.

According to the Mirror, Arsenal are prioritising signing young English talent, presumably with the current homegrown quota in mind. They say Konsa would cost around £15m, but appear to have got this figure from The S*n, so take it with a pinch of salt.

Nonetheless, it’s interesting to hear that the club are specifically looking at young English players. It certainly makes sense, given they signed players from Greece, Germany, Uruguay, France and Switzerland in the summer. With Danny Welbeck and Aaron Ramsey on the way out, Arsenal will really be cutting it fine on the homegrown front.

Konsa is strong in possession, so it’s no surprise he’s being linked with clubs like Arsenal. WhoScored‘s analysis reveals that his aerial duels could use some work though.

At such a young age, it’s no surprise the centre-back still has areas he can improve. Rob Holding made a similar leap from the Championship to the Premier League and took a while to settle in, but now he’s starting every game for Arsenal. We’ll see if the club think Konsa could follow a similar path.

Arsenal ‘closely following’ 18-year-old Galatasaray defender Ozan Kabak

Arsenal are closely following 18-year-old Galatasaray defender Ozan Kabak, who is having a breakthrough season for the Super Lig club.

Kabak had only played a single minute of senior football before this season, which makes his rapid rise to becoming a first-team regular all the more impressive. He’s played the full 90 minutes in Galatasaray’s last eight games, including two matches in the Champions League against Schalke.

Turkish newspaper Sabah (via Sport Witness) write that Arsenal are monitoring his progress, along with Inter Milan. There were rumours in the Italian media that the defender has a €7.5m release clause, but Sabah claim there’s nothing official in the youngster’s contract.

Either way, Galatasaray are quickly trying to tie the young defender down to a new deal, offering him a five-year contract.

According to WhoScored’s analysis, Kabak is very strong at passing, tackling and making blocks, though his concentration has been pretty weak so far. Then again, considering the small sample size, we might have to wait a bit longer before we get an accurate picture of what he’s good and bad at.

If you want to see the player in action for yourself, Galatasaray’s Champions League game against Lokomotiv Moscow on Wednesday is likely to be your next opportunity.

Arsenal show interest in Everton 17-year-old Anthony Gordon

Arsenal have shown an interest in Everton 17-year-old Anthony Gordon, according to reports in the English media.

The Daily Mail write that Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich have both recently turned their attention to Gordon, as well as Arsenal, who have ‘shown an interest’.

The Mail call Gordon ‘one of the finest talents to have emerged from Everton’s academy since Ross Barkley’, pointing out that the youngster made his senior debut all the way back in December 2017, despite his age. The midfielder appeared in a Europa League match between the Merseyside club and Apollon Limassol last season.

Since then, the youngster has returned to the Everton academy, and he’s slowly integrating himself into the u23 side. This season, he’s made a couple of starts for the u18s and a couple for the u23s so far. Gordon’s longest u23 appearance came in a 0-0 draw with Arsenal, which could explain the Gunners’ interest.

The transition period between two academy teams can often be a bit rocky, which might explain why Gordon is yet to score this season. However, once he finds his feet in the u23 side, he’s likely to be just as much of a threat in front of goal as he was for the u18s last season, scoring 14 goals and assisting four in 15 appearances.

We’ll see if Arsenal make a move for the youngster in the near future, or if he ends up in Germany like Reiss Nelson and Jadon Sancho instead.

Arsenal set to hold talks with Andreas Pereira over summer move

Arsenal are set to hold talks with Manchester United midfielder Andreas Pereira over a summer move, according to reports in England and Brazil.

Generally-reliable Brazilian outlet UOL Sport have confirmed the Pereira exit rumours recently doing the rounds in the English media.

UOL say that Pereira is ‘not expected to remain at Manchester United’ past next summer when his contract ends. He’s had no contact from the board over an extension and is already looking at proposals from Arsenal, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.

Arsenal and Chelsea have already made contact to ‘advance the negotiation’ and Pereira’s intention is to ‘find a long-term project’.

This all confirms the initial report from the Mirror claiming that Manchester United are open to selling the midfielder, who wants to remain in the Premier League.

Pereira impressed United fans in pre-season, but he only lasted 135 minutes in the Premier League before Mourinho gave up on him completely. Since his substitution at half-time against Brighton in mid-August, the midfielder has played 35 minutes of club football in three months.

The Belgium-born Brazilian had a couple of good loan spells in La Liga before this season, but we’ll see if he gets a chance to replicate that with a new club in England.