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Arsenal close to completing first January transfer
Robin Bairner
- 19 Jan 2026 06:51 GMT
- 4 min read
News
Arsenal’s first major piece of January business appears close at hand, with Mikel Arteta taking the decision to reshuffle his squad.
The Gunners appear to be quite happy with the options currently open to Arteta, whose side have opened up a healthy seven-point gap at the top of the Premier League table ahead of Manchester City and Aston Villa.
Instead, the coach is seeking to relocate Oleksandr Zinchenko, who has disappeared off the radar after going to Nottingham Forest in the summer.
Current ETV
Oleksandr Zinchenko
D (L)
N. Forest
Oleksandr Zinchenko
D (L)
N. Forest
ETV Range
€12.2M - €14.9M
Eredivisie side Ajax are close to signing the Ukraine international, who has had an injury-hit campaign at the City Ground.
Zinchenko was signed by Ange Postecoglou but has twice been on the sidelines with injury, and by the time he returned to fitness, Sean Dyche was in charge of Forest.
With his prospects of game time looking scant, Arsenal are ready to send the 29-year-old to Ajax, according to Sky Sports.
“It’s understood the clubs are ironing out the final details on a loan deal until the end of the season,” it reports.
Zinchenko is out of contract with Arsenal in the summer, so it is unlikely that he will play for them again, having once been an important €35 million arrival from Manchester City in 2022.
He played 91 matches for the Gunners before ultimately being squeezed out of the team by the arrival of Riccardo Calafiori.
Possible Arsenal signings before the end of the transfer window
Arsenal are not expected to do a great deal more business in January, but the Gunners are on the lookout for additional opportunities on the market should they arise before the window shuts.
Arteta is seeking an additional young defender, with Rennes’ Jeremy Jacquet a player heavily linked with the Emirates side. He appears destined for Chelsea, so the Gunners are likely to look at young AC Milan star Davide Bartesaghi.
An additional attacker is also thought to be on the ideal shopping list, with Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz the dream target. Jean-Matteo Bahoya of Eintracht Frankfurt has also been linked with them.
Finally, more central midfield cover is likely to arrive either in this window or the summer. Elche wonderkid Rodrigo Mendoza, who is wanted by a string of leading European clubs, is the top option here for Arsenal.
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