David Ornstein has confirmed that Arsenal are chasing a second loan deal alongside their move for Denis Suarez, but neither transfer is close at this stage.

david ornstein
David Ornstein

The BBC journalist is well known amongst Arsenal fans for being a reliable source of transfer news, and he gave his latest update on Monday night. Posting on Twitter, Ornstein wrote that Arsenal “want two loan deals, one being Suarez but not close”.

The Suarez chase was common knowledge anyway. Unai Emery made it clear that Arsenal were ruling out any permanent transfers in the winter window, and many reliable sources had already confirmed Suarez was their number one priority as a loan signing.

The only update here is that it’s not yet close. There’s still over a week to get it done though.

However, the identity of the second loan target remains unknown. There were previously links to Yannick Carrasco of Dalian Yifang and James Rodriguez of Real Madrid, but both rumours were based on unreliable sources. It’s possible the deal could be for a position elsewhere on the pitch, with the defence a particular area of concern for Arsenal.

FC Bayern Muenchen v Sport Club Freiburg Bundesliga 1546860467
MUNICH, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 03: James Rodriguez of Bayern Muenchen looks on during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and Sport-Club Freiburg at Allianz Arena on November 3, 2018, in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)

There have also been links to Juventus goalkeeper Emil Audero in the last couple of days, but it seems unlikely that would be a loan deal. Arsenal already have Petr Cech as a backup until the end of the season, it’s only after that they need a replacement.

For now, it’s all just guesswork. Hopefully, we’ll get further updates in the coming days, with just over a week left until the transfer deadline. It looks like Emery won’t be getting any additions to his squad in time for the game against Manchester United on Friday though.