Arsenal plot €175m January spending spree to win the Premier League

Cameron Smith

• 18 Dec 2025 17:09 GMT
• 4 min read

News

Arsenal have reportedly identified a five-man transfer shortlist ahead of the upcoming January window.

The Gunners are currently two points clear at the top of the Premier League table after 16 matches and they are eager to dip into the transfer market next month in a bid to improve their chances of winning the title for the first time since 2004.

Current ETV

Jérémy Jacquet

D (CR)

Stade Rennais

Jérémy Jacquet

D (CR)

Stade Rennais

€16.2M

ETV Range

€14.6M - €17.8M

View full profile

The Arsenal hierarchy backed Mikel Arteta with an investment of €293.5 million this summer, however the club are still keen to sign reinforcements and they have earmarked five players from across Europe as top targets for January.

That is according to a report from CaughtOffside, who claim that Arsenal have identified Marc Guehi, Jeremy Jacquet, Ousmane Diomande and Nathaniel Brown as four defensive targets, while they are also keeping close tabs on the progress of Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who is wanted by both Chelsea and Manchester United.

The Gunners have been linked with the France U21 star for several months and reports suggest that a bid worth in excess of €45m could be lodged by the Emirates Stadium outfit as they look to fight off competition for his signature.

Arsenal’s January transfer plan

CaughtOffside report that a January deal for Bouaddi could be on the cards, with Arsenal wary of the current workload being placed on first-choice midfield pairing Declan Rice and summer signing Martin Zubimendi.

Meanwhile, the club are also eager to bolster their options in defence following several high-profile injuries in recent weeks.

Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie have all spent time on the treatment table so far this season, and Arsenal are therefore keen to address this issue in 2026.

It’s reported that Guehi, Jacquet and Diomande have been earmarked as three centre-back targets, while the club have identified Brown as a potential left-back signing, despite the presence of Riccardo Calafiori and academy product Myles Lewis-Skelly in that position.

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