The huge January transfers Arsenal could seal – and how likely they are to happen

There are still three months to go until the January transfer window opens for business, and at this remove it’s difficult to figure out just how busy Arsenal might be. They have money to spend and at least one position they’d like to upgrade, but early indications are that they don’t see themselves as being desperate enough to overspend.

What’s making it even more difficult to figure out what their work in the winter market might look like is that the rumour mill is throwing names around with abandon – some realistic, many rather less so.

Below, we’ve picked out five of the players that Arsenal have been linked with most strongly and frequently in the gossip columns, and rated them out of 10 based on how likely such deals are to happen in January according to our sources and understanding of the situation.

Kenan Yildiz - Juventus

A flurry of recent rumours have linked the Gunners with 21-year-old Juventus winger Yildiz, and he’s certainly the type of player that they’re especially keen to get their hands on – a left-sided forward with the quality and technical ability to elevate their attack, even if they might ideally want someone who can play through the middle as well as down the wing.

It’s certainly not difficult to imagine that Arsenal might want to get their hands on Yildiz, but it is difficult to imagine them getting their wish, not least because the Turkey international is considered the centrepiece of Juventus’ squad, and became their best-paid player when he signed a new long-term contract extension back in February.

Every indication coming from Turin is that the Old Lady won’t let their most prized asset leave in the foreseeable future, and there are no indications that he might try to force the issue. Arsenal may well admire Yildiz, but he isn’t going anywhere in January.

January transfer likelihood rating: 1/10

Julián Alvarez - Atletico Madrid

It’s impossible to mention Arsenal’s search for a new forward without mentioning Alvarez, who they worked hard to sign over the summer only to miss out as the Argentine held out for a move to Barcelona instead.

The situation doesn’t seem to have changed much. Alvarez wants to leave for Barcelona, who want him, but Atlético Madrid won’t sell to their rivals. They will sell to Arsenal, but Alvarez doesn’t want to go back to the Premier League if he can help it. The Mexican standoff remains at an impasse.

Could Arsenal change the former Manchester City man’s mind in the near future? Maybe. Alvarez’s failed attempt to force his way out has made him a rather controversial figure at the Metropolitano, and there’s always a chance that he gives up on Barcelona and accepts the consolation prize of joining Mikel Arteta’s side. Various rumours suggest that he’s leaning one way or the other, but none come from reliable sources as yet.

Likelihood rating: 4/10

Josh King - Fulham

While discussion about Arsenal’s chances of signing Alvarez, Yildiz, or some other player in the same mould is liable to dominate the gossip columns between now and the end of January, they’ve also been linked with a bid for a couple of promising youngsters – and are said to be one of a few teams tracking Fulham’s breakthrough talent King.

Fulham aren’t likely to be open to a sale this January unless the money is quite extraordinary, but there is always some chance that King tries to force the issue, and his contract isn’t quite as long-term as the Cottagers might like. Their leverage is relatively limited unless they can get their best young prospect in years to sign a new deal.

He may well do just that given that he’s getting regular starts right now, of course, and frankly the sources of the stories suggesting that Arsenal are keen – which we haven’t been able to verify independently – are of debatable quality. Our guess is that this is press speculation and little more.

Likelihood rating: 2/10

Breno Bidon - Corinthians

Another youngster who could be on Arsenal’s shortlist, the 21-year-old Bidon is a box-to-box midfielder in the Bruno Guimarães mould who just received his first call-up to the national side, and some stories in both Brazil and Europe suggest that Arsenal are among the teams keeping tabs on his progress.

It must be noted that while the stories are plausible enough, Arsenal weren’t interested enough to get involved in the bidding when Besiktas agreed a deal worth a little over £15m to sign Bidon from Corinthians at the end of the summer. That transfer fell through, but perhaps hints that the Gunners are doing little more than monitoring the youngster for the time being.

Should their interest become a little more sincere over the coming months, however, a deal is quite possible. The Brazilian calendar means that their teams are more amenable to January deals than their European counterparts, and the price tag clearly won’t be too steep for a side like Arsenal. A tentative maybe.

Likelihood rating: 5/10

Jarell Quansah - Bayer Leverkusen

Arsenal’s interest in Quansah, who has flourished since leaving Liverpool for Bayer Leverkusen in 2025, isn’t very genuine, and the club had a bid of roughly £55m turned down over the summer before they secured the signing of Ezri Konsa instead.

Konsa’s arrival makes signing Quansah far less urgent but they’re still keen to do a deal down the line if they can, with the 23-year-old earmarked as a potential long-term replacement for Ben White now that he’s transitioned successfully to a right-back role in the Bundesliga.

While the fresh stories circulating about Arsenal making a move for Quansah have their basis in fact, this isn’t a deal that’s likely to take place over the winter. Leverkusen want to keep him, and while the player would be up for a move back to the Premier League, his long contract means that he lacks the leverage to force the issue. Certainly a deal which could happen in the future, and perhaps next summer, but something would have to change for this to happen over the winter.

Likelihood rating: 4/10