David Ornstein has confirmed that Arsenal’s interest in Denis Suarez is being driven by Raul Sanllehi and Unai Emery, amid rumours that Sven Mislintat could be on his way out.

LEON, SPAIN - OCTOBER 31: Denis Suarez of FC Barcelona in action during the Spanish Copa del Rey match between Cultural Leonesa and FC Barcelona at Estadio Reino de Leon on October 31, 2018 in Leon, Spain. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
LEON, SPAIN – OCTOBER 31: Denis Suarez of FC Barcelona in action during the Spanish Copa del Rey match between Cultural Leonesa and FC Barcelona at Estadio Reino de Leon on October 31, 2018, in Leon, Spain. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

Ornstein wrote for the BBC that Arsenal are refusing to comment on the possibility of an exit for Sven Mislintat. However, part of the reason the German is considering leaving is that there’s a disparity between the targets he’s pushing for and the ones Raul Sanllehi and Unai Emery want to join the club.

Reportedly, Sanllehi and Emery are very keen on bringing in Denis Suarez, whilst Mislintat wants them to look elsewhere. Worse still, neither party seems to be making much progress, and the lack of money available in the January window is also causing problems.

It does seem there’s finally starting to be some progress in the Suarez deal though. The Mirror report that Arsenal have held further ‘positive’ talks with Barcelona, and the midfielder is ‘edging closer’ to a move. The 25-year-old, who can also play out wide, is Emery’s ‘first choice target’.

Arsenal are hoping to complete a loan deal lasting until the summer, before making the transfer permanent for around £18m. We’ll see if it goes through in the next couple of weeks.