Arsenal receive major blow in pursuit of transfer target, now 'unlikely' to complete deal

We are now a week into the 2024 January transfer window. Deals in the Premier League are abundant - let's see who Arsenal have been linked with today and who has been touted for a move away from North London.

One of the Gunners' primary targets is now 'unlikely' to join Arsenal in January, following new developments - on the other hand, they are now thought to be interested in signing a highly-rated Italian full-back this month. But who is it?

Ivan Toney 'unlikely' to move to Arsenal in January

Ivan Toney has long been linked with Arsenal over the last few months. Despite this, it seems that all this anticipation could be for nothing, as a report from ESPN indicates that Mikel Arteta has deemed it 'unrealistic' to sign a striker in January.

Arteta acknowledged that his team's profligacy in front of goal is 'probably' having a negative effect on the squad's mentality. A new striker could counteract this, but nevertheless, it seems that the Gunners will have to wait until the summer before they add another centre-forward to their ranks.

Arsenal interested in Leonardo Spinazzola

Italian all-star and Euro 2020 winner Leonardo Spinazzola is thought to be in Arsenal's crosshairs, according to LaRoma 24. The Gunners are hoping to bolster their defensive ranks in January - namely on the left-back position - and bringing Spinazzola to the club would be a great way to do this.

The Roma defender is somewhat older than Arsenal usually prefer, at the age of 30. Despite this, they are currently lacking in defensive experience. Their oldest first-team regular in their back line is Ben White, who is just 26 years old. Spinazzola's injury record is spotty, however - this is something that the Gunners must take into consideration before they put a deal together.