Arsenal to ‘battle’ Chelsea for attacker as Barcelona ‘eye’ Gunners starlet

Arsenal have dominated the headlines so far this season, but they now take a backseat as the World Cup takes centre stage.

The Gunners have enjoyed a superb season so far, and their reward is to go into the break with a five point advantage over Manchester City after defeating Wolves over the weekend. Mikel Arteta’s men will want to hit the ground running after the break, but they have more than a month to wait until then, with many of their stars in action in Qatar this winter.

In the meantime, we have rounded up all the latest transfer news and rumours surrounding the Emirates Stadium.

Okafor links

Arsenal are being linked with a move for RB Salzburg star Noah Okafor.

The attacker has impressed over the last 18 months or so, in particular, scoring 25 times in 64 league games. Okafor is a winger by trade, but he also plays as a striker. Okafor will represent Switzerland during the World Cup, and a number of teams will be watching, according to the latest report.

Tuttomercatoweb say Arsenal, AC Milan and Chelsea are all interested in the 22-year-old, who has caught the eye in the Champions League, as well as in the Austrian top tier.

Patino exit links

Barcelona are said to be interested in snapping up Arsenal youngster Charlie Patino.

Patino is a highly-rated talent, still only 19 years of age. He is yet to make a senior Premier League appearance for Arsenal, but he is currently in the midst of a loan spell, making 11 appearances for Blackpool so far this term, scoring twice.

Patino has represented England at five youth levels, and according to Calcio Mercato, Barcelona are interested in snatching the midfielder from Arsenal. It’s claimed that former Barca star Iniesta was an idol of Patino’s growing up.