Arsenal transfer news: Christopher Nkunku, Yannick Carrasco and Ivan Perisic latest after Denis Suarez signs

The club are still in talks with Paris Saint-Germain over Nkunku, but moves for Perisic and Carrasco hit the skids when Arsenal refused to agree to purchase the players in the summer

Luke Brown
Thursday 31 January 2019 14:11 GMT
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Premier League transfer round-up: Suarez set to move to Arsenal

Arsenal signings this window: Denis Suárez (Barcelona). Other transfer targets: Christopher Nkunku (Paris Saint-Germain), Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang).

It took them until the final day of the January transfer window, but Arsenal have finally reinforced their squad.

On Thursday morning, the club confirmed that they had completed the signing of Suárez from Barcelona, initially on loan until the end of the season.

The 25-year-old was photographed arriving at Arsenal’s training ground in London Colney and shaking hands with head coach Unai Emery.

The Arsenal manager spoke earlier this month about wanting to sign “up to two” new players, meaning another late signing is possible. Here is the latest.

Denis Suárez

Suárez has finally joined Arsenal on loan from Barcelona until the end of the season.

Denis Suarez has joined Arsenal (Arsenal FC via Getty) (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

The midfielder has also agreed to a one year contract extension with Barcelona, although Arsenal have the option to make his loan deal permanent in the summer.

Suárez will once again link up with Unai Emery, who he previously played under during a successful loan spell at Sevilla during the 2014-15 season.

Emery said: “We are very happy that Denis Suarez is joining us. He is a player we know well and I have worked with him at Sevilla.

“He brings us quality and options in many different attacking positions, so he'll be able to help the team.”

Suárez meanwhile added that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry.

“One thing no one knows about me is that when I was little and I used to watch the Premier League on the TV, Arsenal were a team that really inspired me,” he said.

“I used to watch Bergkamp and Henry - they’re both legends of the club and hopefully we can follow in their footsteps.”

Christopher Nkunku

Of the other three players Arsenal have been persistently linked with this month, Christopher Nkunku currently looks like the most likely signing – but that doesn’t mean it’s close.

Christopher Nkunku is interested in an Arsenal move (AFP/Getty ) (AFP/Getty)

Arsenal are still understood to be in contact with Paris Saint-Germain although the club are not especially confident of signing Nkunku on loan ahead of tonight’s deadline.

Whether Nkunku is allowed to leave PSG or not largely depends on how many midfielders the French club sign today.

Sky this morning reported that DC United midfielder Luciano Acosta is travelling to Paris ahead of talks with the club. Meanwhile, the Mirror claim that PSG are still in talks with Everton to sign Idrissa Gueye.

Ivan Perisic

Inter Milan’s refusal to agree to an option – rather than an obligation – to buy in the summer means that Ivan Perisic will not be joining Arsenal today.

Ivan Perisic of FC Internazionale (Getty Images)

Perisic, 29, handed in a transfer request earlier this week and the club’s chief executive admitted he could be allowed to leave the San Siro.

“It is difficult to keep players that don’t want to stay but no offer has arrived yet so therefore the prerequisite for a transfer simply isn’t there,” Giuseppe Marotta told Sky in Italy at the beginning of the week.

But as The Independent reported earlier this week, Inter insisted he could only leave permanently or on loan with an obligation to buy, conditions Arsenal were not willing to agree with given their current financial situation.

Yannick Carrasco

Belgium international Yannick Carrasco has been offered to a series of European clubs this summer.

The 25-year-old is desperate to leave China, where he moved to join Dalian Yifang from Atlético Madrid last February.

Yannick Carrasco is staying in China (AFP/Getty Images)

However Arsenal are reluctant to agree to a permanant deal.

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