After an unconvincing start to the current season, Arsenal are drawing up a lengthy shortlist of potential targets for the January transfer window, and two players on the radar are RB Leipzig duo Christopher Nkunku and Ibrahima Konate.
Mikel Arteta's side find themselves down in 11th in the Premier League table, and with Sunday's 3-0 mauling at the hands of Aston Villa still fresh in the memory, the Gunners are understandably keen to strengthen their squad,
We've already seen links to a whole host of new faces - Red Bull Salzburg's Dominik Szoboszlai was recently added to the wish list - and Sport Bild claim that Arsenal scouts are now looking at Nkunku and Konate.
Beginning with Nkunku, the 22-year-old midfielder is said to have a number of elite clubs monitoring his progress, but only Arsenal and Lyon get a specific mention.
He was one of the Bundesliga's top creators last season, racking up 15 assists and an extra five goals in his 32 appearances for Leipzig, and The Athletic's David Ornstein believes that the Gunners are looking for a player with his exact skill set.
"The sense I get is that they would be looking to understandably to bring a creative attacking midfielder in that sort of no.10 role but perhaps who could operate towards the right as well," Ornstein said on Ask Ornstein.
He added that Arsenal are mainly planning for the summer of 2021, when the likes of Mesut Ozil and Sokratis will be out of contract, but the Gunners' inconsistent form may prompt an investment or two in January.
Then there's Konate, the 21-year-old centre-back who is also thought to be on the radar of a whole host of Premier League teams.
Links between Arsenal and Konate are nothing new. They stretch back to February 2019, although most of the rumours since have revolved around defensive partner Dayot Upamecano, but it's Konate who is back on Arsenal's wish list.
He comes with a release clause of around £45m, which may be a little steep for an Arsenal side who recently spent £27m to sign Gabriel Magalhaes and still have the £27m conundrum that is William Saliba on their hands.
However, with Shkodran Mustafi, Sokratis and David Luiz all approaching the conclusion of their respective contracts, there's no denying that the Gunners may need to be on the lookout for defensive reinforcements come the end of the season.
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Source : 90min