Arsenal Transfer News: Winger prefers Arsenal over United, club joins Chelsea in race for midfielder, and more – January 8, 2019

Arsenal transfer news and rumours:

Yannick Carrasco leans towards Arsenal move

Yannick Carrasco, the Belgian international, is reportedly ready to snub Manchester United for a move to their Premier League rivals, Arsenal, a report from Football Talk suggests. The North London side have undergone a significant transformation under new manager Unai Emery, but continue to struggle in defence and in the wider areas of attack.

Carrasco, who is currently playing with Chinese outfit Dalian Yifang, will be a step towards fixing the latter problem. The 25-year-old, who played for European heavyweights like Monaco and Atletico Madrid before moving to China, is reportedly valued at £26 million in the current transfer market.

Considering their dearth of wide attacking players, the Gunners might take the plunge and sign the Belgian for the said amount. Reportedly, they have already contacted Dalian Yifang over his potential move to the Emirates Stadium this month.

Gunners inch closer to signing Denis Suarez

According to a report in Italian media house Gianluca di Marzio, Arsenal are in the driver's seat to sign versatile attacker Denis Suarez from Barcelona.

The 25-year-old, who has a release clause of £20 million, has found life difficult at Camp Nou, struggling to find game-time with La Liga champions. Arsenal, who are likely to lose Aaron Ramsey this month or at the end of the season, are looking at Suarez to replace the Welsh midfielder.

The Spaniard is a workhorse who is likely to suit the North London club's current playing style. Moreover, he has worked under Emery previously, when the duo was together in Sevilla in the Spanish league. It will be interesting to see if the Gunners are able to pull off this transfer, since rumours of Barcelona playing hardball over the move have also been floating around over the last couple of days.

Arsenal join the race for Nicolo Barella

Nicolo Barella, who plays for Cagliari Calcio in the Serie A, has been attracting interest from Premier League clubs in the ongoing transfer window.

The midfielder has been on Chelsea's radar for a few days now and according to reports from Sky Italia (h/t Tribal Football), the Gunners have also joined the race for him now.

The 21-year-old has been impressive this season, making 18 appearances for Cagliari, who are reportedly demanding €50 million for him.