Arsenal's hopes of signing Matheus Cunha in January have been dealt a blow as Wolves work on a new deal for their star man.
Mikel Arteta's Gunners have been linked with an attack reinforcement after losing Bukayo Saka to injury. The England international will face a lengthy spell on the sidelines following hamstring surgery, leaving Arsenal thin at the top.
Summer signing Raheem Sterling has been missing due to injury in recent weeks, while rumors of a recall for Fabio Vieira have cooled. Vieira spent the first half of the season on loan at Porto, with manager Vitor Bruno dismissing suggestions he could return to north London.
In January 2023, Arsenal were looking for mid-season reinforcements in the Premier League when Leandro Trossard arrived from Brighton. Cunha has been linked as the subject of a similar move, but Vitor Pereira's club are keen to put an end to that with a new contract.
According to The Mail, Wolves are 'determined' to sign £70m-rated Cunha to a new deal. Such a deal could include a release clause but could at least keep the Brazilian at Molineux for the rest of the current season.
The 25-year-old Cunha joined Wolves on loan from Atletico Madrid in January 2023. He secured a permanent transfer at the end of that season for a club record fee and was the club's top scorer last season with 14 goals in all competitions.
He is already close to matching that tally this season, with ten goals to his name in just eighteen league appearances. Two of these came in the first three games under Wolves' new boss, with Pereira collecting seven points from a possible nine to guide the club out of the bottom three.
Arsenal boss Arteta was asked about January signings ahead of his team's match at Brighton. “I don't know, again because the focus is on the players we have,” he said.
“If there is something on the market that we can afford and that we think is going to have a real impact on the team, we have to be open to that possibility. We have the opportunity to change the squad in the windows, But right now the focus is on what we have.”
Kai Havertz is in contention to return after missing the win over Brentford through illness, while Sterling is also closing in on a place in the squad. “I think he's starting to do some things on the pitch, so that's great news,” Arteta said of the loanee.
“We want to have him available as soon as possible. Let's see how he develops this week and then see if we can go next week.”
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