Arsenal make attacker raid ‘main focus’ as Gunners and Man Utd ‘reluctant’ to meet demands for £86m star

Arsenal are approaching the halfway point of their Premier League campaign, and face a great opportunity to pull even further clear at the top of the table when they come up against Newcastle United on Tuesday evening. The Gunners currently have a seven point lead over second-placed Manchester City, but could extend that advantage to 10 points with a win over the Magpies

Before then, however, there is still plenty of Premier League transfer speculation to work through. Check out Tuesday’s Arsenal-related rumours below...

Arsenal focused on Mudryk

Arsenal’s ‘main focus’ for the January transfer window remains Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhaylo Mudryk, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano. The renowned journalist has claimed that the Gunners are very much aware of how “special” the Ukrainian can become can become, and are eager to snap him up in the coming weeks.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Romano said: “I think their main focus remains on Mykhaylo Mudryk. The feeling of all the people in the industry is that Arsenal know how special this guy can become in the next few years.” A fee of around £85 million continues to be touted.

Gunners reluctant to meet Felix demands

Arsenal and Chelsea are ‘reluctant’ to meet Atletico Madrid’s demands for any potential loan dela involving Joao Felix this month. The Spanish giants are asking an initial £10 million fee, followed by an option-to-buy clause worth around £86 million.

But despite widespread interest in the 23-year-old, it is suggested by the Evening Standard that the London duo, as well as Manchester United, are hesitant about committing to such an expensive outlay - especially alongside Felix’s £250,000-a-week wages. Atletico could, however, be open to further negotiation as the month window wears on, with the club keen to move on a player who has fallen out of favour with manager Diego Simeone.