Arsenal to battle Premier League rival in race to sign Red Star Belgrade star: Reports

Arsenal are reportedly set to face competition from Crystal Palace for the signature of Red Star Belgrade defender Nasser Djiga. The youngster has also garnered interest from the likes of Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Djiga is a highly rated prospect to have come out of Burkina Faso. He started his career at Vitesse FC before joining FC Basel in 2021. He joined Red Star Belgrade on a season-long loan in the 2023-24 season before joining them permanently last summer. He has made 54 senior appearances for the club and also contributed three goals and two assists.

As per The Hard Tackle, Arsenal are interested in signing Djiga. The likes of Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu face uncertain future at the club. Hence, Mikel Arteta is looking to further strengthen his already-packed defense.

Crystal Palace are also interested in signing the 22-year-old defender as Marc Guehi's future looms in the air. The Englishman has been linked with an exit in the last few transfer windows and could eventually leave in the summer. Djiga might also get more playing time at Palace than he would at Arsenal.

Brentford and Wolves are also monitoring the Burkina Faso international for a potential transfer. His contract with Red Star Belgrade expires in 2028 and as per Transfermarkt, his market value is €7 million.

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Mikel Arteta rules out panic buys for Arsenal in January transfer window

With the January transfer window now open, clubs will be expected to make moves to strengthen their squads. Arsenal are set to be without Bukayo Saka for a few weeks due to an injury with Raheem Sterling also out injured. Hence, as they are challenging in four competitions, they are expected to be active in the market.

Manager Mikel Arteta, however, has asserted that they won't be making any panic buys. They have made preparations and will look to execute those plans in the transfer window. He said (via Arseblog):

“I think if we panic means that we are not prepared .And a big thing is preparation. And when you are well prepared, your decisions will be better, they will be very well processed. And then it will be the thing whether when we decide to sign a player, does he perform, yes or no? And that’s a good decision or a bad decision after that.

“The preparation is done for sure and we are ready if we have to do something. But we know as well that we have an excellent squad and with players available we can compete with any team.”

Arsenal are second in the Premier League standings, six points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand. They will next face Brighton & Hove Albion away on Saturday.