Arsenal have endured a slow transfer window, but that is expected to change in the coming weeks. Mikel Arteta's side have made three additions so far, yet supporters are still waiting for the statement signing many anticipated ahead of the club's first Premier League title defence in more than 20 years.
The Gunners have completed a £34million move for Greek winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, triggered a £34.5m buy clause to make Piero Hincapie's loan from Bayer Leverkusen permanent, and added goalkeeper Illan Meslier on a free transfer after his Leeds contract expired.
Now, Arsenal are in advanced talks with Newcastle over midfielder Bruno Guimaraes and remain heavily linked with a blockbuster swoop for Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr.
Real Madrid issue Vinicius Jr update
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Vinicius Jr will return to training with the squad on Monday amid the uncertainty over his future. The Brazilian has less than 12 months remaining on his contract, and negotiations over an extension have reached an impasse.
Arsenal are monitoring the situation and are ready to offer Vinicius a route out of the Bernabeu should talks collapse. However, the 26-year-old is not expected to take drastic action to force a move.
"On Monday, Vini Jr, Brahim, and Bernardo will arrive," Mourinho told Real Madrid's official website. "I'm concerned about not having everyone, and I would like to have three weeks of work with the others. It's not possible."
Arteta drops major transfer hint
Mikel Arteta has indicated that Arsenal are preparing for a busy end to the window, saying the club have "very ambitious" plans and telling supporters to "expect movements". The rest of the 'Big Six' have spent nearly £850m combined, while Arsenal have been cautious.
"We are already active and trying to improve on and evolve the team. That is clear," Arteta said. "We expect to have movements in the next few weeks. Obviously we want to get better like anyone else and you can see the transfer market, and our opponents, what we are doing. We won't sit still and we are very ambitious with where we want to go."
Arteta refused to comment on the Vinicius Jr links, responding with a smile and "thank you" when asked about the Real Madrid forward. He stressed the need to add competition and address weaknesses before the new campaign.
"The margins are very small, we want to get better and the level is going to increase," he said. "We need to increase the competition internally. We need to make sure we identify the things that we don’t have in the team, to have bigger margins. That's the way we have to think."
