Arsenal 'watching' Bundesliga pair ahead of January window as Gunners 'lead race' for Liverpool 'target'

The January transfer window will open its doors on Monday, January 1. It looks set to be one of the most tumultuous mid-season windows in recent memory - so who will Arsenal look to bring to North London?

Today, we'll be looking at a trio of central defenders who the Gunners have been linked with. Mikel Arteta seems intent on finding the perfect partner for William Saliba - and he's looking at players from both Germany and Portugal to strengthen his defensive ranks. Can Arsenal land any of the three? Let's take a look at them first.

Arsenal monitoring Matthijs de Ligt and Nico Schlotterbeck

Arsenal are not holding back in their pursuit of improvements - this much seems true when you consider that they have been linked with Bayern Munich's Matthijs de Ligt and Borussia Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck ahead of January.

This is according to a recent report from The Athletic, who say that de Ligt and Schlotterbeck are 'long-term' targets. Despite this, they also mention that it is highly unlikely that the Gunners will be able to sign either of them in January - it could be a different story in the 2024 summer transfer window, however.

Gunners leading race to sign Goncalo Inacio

Arsenal are thought to be the prime candidates to sign Sporting CP defender Goncalo Inacio in January, according to a piece from A Bola. They face sturdy competition for his signature in the form of Liverpool and Manchester United, but are nonetheless leading the pack.

Inacio has been a mainstay in Sporting's starting XI this season, having played in almost all of their Liga Portugal games so far. Additionally, he has also notched up a single goal along the way - it is unlikely that they will be willing to let him go for anything other than a massive fee.