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RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano is top of Arsenal’s shopping list in the January window.
New manager Mikel Arteta has identified the need for a new central defender to boost his side, with Calum Chambers set for an extended spell on the side-lines after limping off against Chelsea last weekend, and Rob Holding suffering from a knee injury.
That only leaves the Spaniard with the error-prone Shkodran Mustafi as back-up to Sokratis Papasthapoulos, who is suffering from concussion after the Boxing Day clash with Bournemouth, and David Luis, both of whom have come in for heavy criticism this season.
Arsenal were interested in signing Upamecano in the summer with reports that they had a £60 million bid for him turned down by the German side. However, with the 21 year old in the last 18 months of his contract, and refusing to sign a new deal, his value will have dropped somewhat, although Leipzig may still be able to drive a hard bargain because Arsenal’s needs are transparent.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.