Arsenal ‘likely’ to make January midfielder swoop, £5m defender ‘almost joined’ West Ham in late switch

Arsenal will be looking to maintain their unbeaten start to their Premier League campaign when they come up against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.

The Gunners currently sit top of the table having taken 15 points from their first five matches.

Mikel Arteta’s side beat a lacklustre Aston Villa 2-1 in midweek, with goals from Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli proving too much for Steven Gerrard’s struggling side.

For their part, United beat Leicester City 1-0 on Thursday night to make it three consecutive top flight wins for them.

The Red Devils have now won three, lost two this term, and are currently fifth in the table with nine points to their name.

But with the dust beginning to settle on this summer’s transfer window, and with teams all across the division getting used to their new look squads, what’s the current state of play at the Emirates Stadium?

Check out the latest Premier League speculation below...

Leeds United are considering a winter transfer for defender Kai Wagner. Philadelphia Union are “very reluctant” to let their star left-back go in the middle of the season, however. (Manuel Veth)

Newcastle United were quoted “ludicrous fees” for a number of targets over the course of the summer transfer window. Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby would have all cost the Magpies in excess of £50 million each. (The Athletic)

Leeds United were interested in making a deadline day swoop for Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho, but the Nigeria international ultimately proved to be unattainable. (The Athletic)

Newcastle United wanted to sign Tottenham attacker Lucas Moura on Deadline Day, as did Aston Villa. Spurs, however, decided to keep the Brazilian. Moura’s future remains open, with the player out of contract at the end of the season. As such, the 30-year-old could leave for free next summer. (Fabrizio Romano)

The FA “refused the possibility” of extending the transfer deadline so that midfielder Steven Alzate could join West Brom in the closing stages of the window. The 23-year-old will remain at Brighton for the time being. (Pipe Sierra)

Arsenal are “likely” to make a move for Palmeiras midfielder Danilo in January. The Brazilian is said to fit the profile of the kind of player that Mikel Arteta is hoping to bring in to bolster his options in the centre of the park. (The Independent)

Belgian right-back Thomas Foket almost joined West Ham on deadline day. The Hammers were willing to offer around £3 million, with a three-year contract on the table. Foket’s current side Stade Reims refused the bid, however, and demanded closer to £5.2 million. (Sacha Tavolieri)

Premier League new boys Fulham and Nottingham Forest both failed with “lucrative” offers to sign Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba before Thursday’s deadline passed, but the player stayed put. Villa would have preferred to loan Nakamba out, after first extending his contract until 2024. (The Herald)