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Arsenal have made contact with Wolfsburg defender Ridle Baku about a summer move to the Emirates Stadium, according to journalist Christian Falk.

Do Arsenal need a defender this summer?

The Gunners have the joint-second best defensive record in the Premier League this season, having conceded just 27 goals, with William Saliba impressing so much that contract talks have been underway for quite some time.

Ben White has been solid in an unconventional right-back role, making 33 appearances in that position this season, however Mikel Arteta is a little light on back-up options for the Englishman, and so he could enter the market this summer.

Arsenal tried to sign Ivan Fresneda in the January transfer window, but they will be forced to wait until the summer, and TEAMtalk report they will make another approach for the Spanish youngster at the end of the season.

Fresneda is not their only option at right-back, however, with Falk telling CaughtOffside that Baku has "got the call from Arsenal", but they are not the only Premier League side to have made contact with the Wolfsburg ace.

Chelsea made a call of their own during the January transfer window, while there is also expected to be suitors from abroad, as Villarreal want to make a bid in the summer.

The journalist does not give any details about whether any progress was made in discussions with the player, but the Gunners are definitely interested, and it remains to be seen how the situation develops over the coming weeks.

Would Ridle Baku be a good signing for Arsenal?

Hailed as "outstanding" by former Mainz manager Sandro Schwarz, the 25-year-old would have a lot to offer Arsenal going forward, given that he ranks in the 98th percentile for non-penalty goals per 90 in the past year, compared to other full-backs.

The four-time Germany international has amassed five goals and one assist in the Bundesliga this season, highlighting his attacking threat, and he has been versatile enough to slot in at right-midfield when required.

Not only that, but there is also an indication the £33k-per-week right-back would be solid defensively, ranking in the 98th percentile for blocks per 90 in the same timeframe, averaging 1.97, while White has averaged just 1.43.

Arsenal are short on numbers at right-back, and Baku would be an excellent addition, largely due to his talent going forward, which would be very useful for Arteta in certain games.

Arsenal may well be fighting atop the Premier League, enjoying a season that could well go down in history, but the pedigree of their title rivals cannot be forgotten.

Manchester City have been in this position countless times before, pushed to their limit by Liverpool only to surpass them on almost every occasion. They are a relentless machine, which would make this potential league victory all the more special.

There are so many moving parts and romantic storylines that have invested the country in this battle. With Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola, it offers a 'student becomes the master' dynamic, as two Spaniards boasting great tactical minds come together.

However, no matter what the conclusion of this campaign brings, one thing is for certain. The former Barcelona man will be keen to ensure there is no such scrap next year.

He will invest heavily, looking to build around his already phenomenal squad with further quality to allow them to challenge on all fronts once again. Therefore, if Arteta seeks to truly build a long-term dynasty at the Emirates, challenging for every honour too, he must seek to do the same.

Despite the rich talent running throughout the current squad, the exploits of some of their former players cannot be overlooked in relation to their most impressive recent assets. The mercurial midfielder Santi Cazorla springs to mind, with his potential successor, Gabri Veiga, seemingly keen on a move to north London.

Who is Gabri Veiga?

The tricky 20-year-old has burst onto the scene for Celta Vigo this season, scoring goals for fun in La Liga and deservedly earning links to some top teams, having been mentioned amongst many Premier League clubs who are seeking to bolster their midfield ranks tenfold.

But with a reported preference for Arsenal over the likes of Newcastle United and a €40m (£35m) release clause present, perhaps the Spanish contingent that has run through the club over the years could be a factor in his preference.

Cazorla stands out as the shining example of such a figure, with his ability remembered fondly by many fans of the Premier League.

A silky customer, the 38-year-old was equally as adept with both feet and could score or assist from anywhere. His ability over a dead ball also became legendary by the end of his tenure, and he would score 29 and assist 45 across 180 appearances.

Having recorded 24 goal contributions in his debut campaign in England, the 5 foot 6 magician would see his career marred by injuries that often left him sidelined for long periods.

However, his impact clearly remains lasting.

In Veiga, there is precedent to believe he could be moulded in such an image, especially given his nine goals and three assists already in the league at such a young age.

Not only this, but when compared to other midfielders across Europe he ranks in the top 1% for non-penalty goals, the top 7% for progressive carries, and the top 2% for successful take-ons (via FBref).

Also branded "incredible" and "dangerous" by Spanish football expert Euan McTear, this equally talented midfielder has all the attributes to emulate Cazorla's brilliance and help maintain their place at the top of English football.

Manchester United see in-form Napoli striker Victor Osimhen as a ‘priority’ signing during the summer transfer window, according to a fresh update.

The Lowdown: Osimhen on fire for Napoli

The 24-year-old is having the season of his life currently, scoring 19 times in Serie A and helping Napoli sit 17 points clear at the top of the table.

There could be a huge battle for Osimhen’s signature come the end of the season and United have been linked with a move for him numerous times of late.

Now, a new rumour has emerged – one that suggests Old Trafford could be the Nigerian’s destination this summer.

The Latest: United still keen on signing

According to inews, United’s ‘priority’ signing in attack is Osimhen, with Erik ten Hag seeing him as the perfect man to come in and make his team even more formidable.

It is stated in the report that they have also been ‘monitoring’ Roma striker Tammy Abraham, but Osimhen is seen as the more important addition.

The Verdict: Could be a stunning addition

If United manage to snap up the 23-cap Nigeria international this summer, it could prove to be every bit as important as Casemiro, such is his quality.

Osimhen has run riot at times this season, using his pace and strength to devastating effect, with Walter Mazzarri also once describing him as ‘phenomenal’.

A centre forward is a missing piece of United’s jigsaw currently, with Wout Weghorst doing a job but not yet scoring in the Premier League, and the Napoli star could be a huge upgrade on him.

The thought of Osimhen dovetailing with the likes of Marcus Rashford and Antony is a mouth-watering one for United fans and he could turn the team into genuine Premier League and Champions League contenders.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly considering a move for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

The Lowdown: North London connections

Martinez has been on the books at Villa Pak since 2020 but has previous connections to north London with Arsenal. The Argentine spent 10 years on the books with Spurs’ rivals, making just 38 senior appearances.

He’s gone from strength to strength in the Midlands and recently helped Argentina win the World Cup, with a return to London potentially on the cards.

The Latest: Spurs interest

90min shared a story in the last 48 hours regarding Spurs and Martinez. They claimed that Tottenham are likely to bring in a new ‘keeper in the summer and have Martinez on their shortlist.

A move for Martinez is being considered, with the player possibly tempted on a move to Spurs.

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The Verdict: One to watch…

Hugo Lloris has been out through injury in recent weeks and turned 36 on Boxing Day. His contract doesn’t expire until 2024, but thinking about his long-term replacement is a shrewd move.

Martinez has gained plenty of Premier League experience as a number one with Villa and was hailed for the vital role he played in winning the World Cup, described as ‘world class’ by members of the media.

Therefore, he may prove to be a smart addition in the summer, especially as there appears to have been friction with current manager Unai Emery, so it looks as if this could be one to watch over the coming months.

Former Celtic footballer Peter Grant believes Ange Postecoglou’s links to the City Group could open the door for a bigger move than the ones he has been linked to recently.

The Lowdown: Interest in Postecoglou

Postecoglou has made himself of the most-watched managers in Europe right now after successfully returning Celtic to the summit of the SPFL following their dismal 2020/21 campaign.

This turnaround saw him linked with a potential switch to Premier League side Everton prior to Frank Lampard’s sacking, though Sean Dyche was eventually selected as his successor.

He’s once again been linked with a move south of the border, this time to Leeds United, who sacked Jesse Marsch and currently remain managerless.

The Latest: Grant’s comments

Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show, former Celtic man Grant claimed that Postecoglou should ignore the Leeds interest to remain at Celtic, where he has support that he would struggle to find at Elland Road.

However, he also claimed his that links with the City Group – through his spell at Japanese outfit Yokohama F. Marinos – could bring about better opportunities in the future.

Asked whether he could see the Australian leaving for Leeds, he said: “I don’t think that will happen. The manager’s doing a fantastic job at Celtic. Of course, somewhere along the line, he’d maybe want to work in the Premiership, there’s no doubt of that.

“I’m sure he’s part of the City Group, if I’m led to believe, so if he’s part of that, there may be a bigger job that’s going to come to him.

“I’m not saying anything about Leeds, because it’s a fantastic club, I’ve been to many of their games and [they have] fantastic support, but he’s got that at Celtic Park.

“Everything he needs at Leeds, he’s got double that at Celtic Park with the support he’s got there. The only thing I keep saying is the thing Celtic have not got is the Premier League, and maybe one day that’s what he’ll want to try.”

The Verdict: City Group links

The City Group, which is spearheaded by Manchester City, owns 11 clubs around the world, with 2019 J-League champions and Postecoglou’s former side, Yokohama F. Marinos, being one of the clubs that the group have a minority share in (via City Football Group).

Postecoglou is unsurprisingly garnering interest, with him winning 69 of his 95 games in charge at Parkhead, with a league title and Scottish League Cup win to his name so far. Meanwhile, the Bhoys are currently nine points clear at the top of the SPFL and back in the Scottish League Cup final, so he could replicate his success this time around.

Although a huge step up and with Pep Guardiola still at the helm, a move to the Citizens would be extremely unlikely now, but given his success and tentative links to the club, Postecoglou could perhaps one day be eyed up as an outside shout to take the Etihad hotseat.

Tottenham Hotspur are on the verge of sealing a “statement” signing, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The north London outfit have been linked with a move for Sporting CP wing-back Pedro Porro for much of the January transfer window but with less than a week to go, they are running out of time to get him through the doors at Hotspur Way.

However, renowned transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has provided some encouragement on the situation, claiming that a move is “really close” to happening and that it could be “done” before the weekend.

Reports have suggested that the Primeira Liga giants are expecting the 23-year-old’s €45m (£40m) release clause to be paid in full, whilst Spurs announced the arrival of Arnaut Danjuma on Wednesday, joining on an initial loan from LaLiga side Villarreal.

O’Rourke has now told Football FanCast that Porro has been the no.1 target this month for quite some time and believes that the club are making a major move by signing him, he said:

“It’s a huge statement if they can get this deal over the line before the window closes next week.

“Pedro Porro has been Tottenham’s number one target for the right wing-back position.”

Indeed, it’s hard to disagree as it’s a role that probably keeps manager Antonio Conte up at night.

Just a few months into his reign as Nuno Espirito Snato’s successor, the Italian was regularly linked with new options for the right wing-back spot.

At the time Wolverhampton Wanderers powerhouse Adama Traore was one player who Spurs nearly signed, with The Times claiming that the 53-year-old was unconvinced by both Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty.

Fast forward a little over a year and the problem still remains, which is why Porro has emerged as a viable solution and some solution he is, having racked up an eye-watering 14 goal contributions across 25 matches this term.

It builds on last season’s returns of five goals and seven assists, and is far more than what the aforementioned Lilywhites duo have managed combined – Emerson (four G/A), Doherty (seven G/A) – since the start of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign.

That would make the “special talent” – as once described by journalist Zach Lowry – a monumental upgrade to an important position in Conte’s squad, heading into the second half of the campaign.

As such, Porro is certainly a ‘huge statement’ from the club and sporting director Fabio Paratici, just as O’Rourke has suggested.

AND in other news, SpurSpurs have “eye” on “dominant” £35m “prodigy” in summer, could be Conte’s next Bastoni…

Telegraph journalist Jim White has claimed that Everton will “probably” be bought by an American consortium after owner Farhad Moshiri puts the club up for sale.

What’s the word?

It’s been a pretty mad week for the Toffees so far with Frank Lampard first getting the sack amid a woeful run of form in the Premier League.

This big news was then followed up by reports that Everton are officially up for sale, with Moshiri now looking for offers of more than £500m to do business.

While speaking about it all on BBC Transfer Gossip Daily, White said that this is a decent price for the club as they will soon have an exciting new stadium and so he expects plenty of interest.

He explained: “I think it would probably be an American consortium, maybe the Middle East. But you know this would mean that three of the big northwest clubs are up for sale simultaneously.

“Everton is a lot cheaper than either Liverpool or Manchester United. And they’ve got a new stadium in the most spectacular setting, alongside the Mersey, 50,000 seater stadium.

I think that’s a good buy for somebody coming in. £500m is a lot less than some of the other asking prices that are around about.

So I wouldn’t be surprised, if it’s true – and let’s just put a little caveat in there for Everton supporters – if it’s true that he wants out, I don’t think he’ll be short of people looking.”

Good business?

As mentioned by White, both Liverpool and Manchester United are also reportedly up for sale right. However, these two Premier League giants are expected to be valued at roughly £3.3bn and £5bn respectively.

This is quite the jump up in price from Everton and that’s somewhat understandable when you consider that the Toffees have spent this season and last season fighting relegation and could well spend their next campaign in the Championship.

However, with Lampard now gone, the club will hope to hire a manager who can steer them to safety. If they can achieve that, a new owner could be buying a Premier League club for a very good price – one that will soon have a big new stadium in a brilliant location.

It’ll certainly be interesting to see what sort of parties become interested in a potential deal over the coming weeks and months.

Newcastle United may dip into the market this month to bolster their squad heading into the second half of the season during the January transfer window.

Eddie Howe used the window to great effect last year as he brought in Bruno Guimaraes, Matt Targett, Dan Burn, Chris Wood, and Kieran Trippier to improve the team.

The Magpies are currently third in the Premier League table and strengthening the roster in the coming weeks could help them to push on for a Champions League place by the end of the campaign.

One player who could be on his way to St. James’ Park before the end of the month is Boca Juniors central midfielder Alan Varela, who is said to be of interest to the club.

The 21-year-old gem reportedly has a release clause of €20m (£18m) and the Magpies supposedly made an offer of €18m (£16m), which falls just short of leaving the Argentine side with no choice but to accept.

Journalist Dean Jones recently told GIVEMESPORT that a move for Varela “sounds plausible” and claimed that the club “like” the South American market.

Howe could now finally land a replacement for recently-departed defensive midfielder Isaac Hayden by securing a deal to sign the Boca Juniors star.

Hayden left the Magpies last summer to sign for Championship side Norwich on loan, after playing 14 times in the Premier League for the club last term.

The Englishman made 3.0 tackles and interceptions per match but his average Sofascore rating of 6.60 suggests that he did not do enough on a weekly basis, as he ranked 24th in the squad in that respect.

Varela, on the other hand, averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.02 across 22 appearances in the Argentine top-flight for Boca Juniors in 2022, which would place him eighth in the current squad if he could replicate his form in England.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig once hailed him as “wonderful” and a “controller” and his statistics for his club back that up, as he has made 4.0 tackles and interceptions per game and completed 88% of his passes.

These statistics show that the 21-year-old is an energetic gem who can consistently win the ball back for his side, whilst also being reliable in possession and rarely giving up the ball to the opposition.

Therefore, Varela could finally replace Hayden as the long-term defensive midfielder in Howe’s squad and Dan Ashworth must now push to complete this deal in the coming weeks.

The January transfer window is only a matter of days away from opening and Aston Villa could be busy throughout the month in order to improve their squad.

It will be Unai Emery’s first chance to shape his side by bringing in his own players and the Spaniard may want to make an addition or two to give his side a lift heading into the second half of the campaign.

The club have already been linked with a number of players and it will be interesting to see which positions the former Villarreal boss deems in need of improvement.

Italian outlet Calciomercato recently reported that Villa are one of the clubs eyeing up a swoop to sign Chicago Fire centre-forward Jhon Duran next month, which indicates that the head coach wants to add to his attacking options.

They claimed that the Villans have submitted an offer to sign the attacker but that they are currently behind Portuguese giants Benfica, who have made a bid of €15m (£13m) for him, in the race for the gem’s signature.

Emery could land the heir to Ollie Watkins’ place in the team by beating the Liga Portugal side to this signing as the talented Colombian is a promising young striker.

The Chicago Fire marksman, who turned 19 earlier this month, has scored eight goals and provided three assists in 14 MLS starts this year, averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.91.

He joined the MLS team at the start of 2022 after plundering nine goals in 46 senior appearances for Envigado FC in his home country and has caught the eye with his performances for the Fire.

Earlier this year, talent scout Jacek Kulig described the teenager as a “complete” and “powerful” striker who can be used as a counter-attacking “weapon”, whilst also praising his quality in the air.

Watkins, meanwhile, has been hailed for his well-rounded attacking play, with his pace on the counter and his aerial ability – as evidenced by his recent goal against Liverpool – being two of his biggest strengths.

This suggests that both players are similar in style and, therefore, Duran could be the long-term successor to the Englishman’s place in the team if the club are able to snap him up.

At the age of 19, the Colombian striker could be a signing for the future and a player Emery is able to work with on the training pitch, whilst allowing him to learn from the likes of Danny Ings and Watkins, before making him a key player further down the line.

Duran’s form in the MLS is promising and Villa must now take a punt on the teenager in January in the hope that he is able to fulfil his potential in the Premier League and become their starting number nine for many years to come.

West Ham United are yet to see the very best from summer signing Lucas Paqueta but manager David Moyes could get the best out of the Brazilian by playing him in a deeper role.

The 25-year-old midfielder joined the Hammers from Lyon in a club-record deal worth £51m but he is yet to replicate the fantastic form he showed in Ligue 1 with his new club.

Last season saw the 25-year-old notch nine goals and six assists in 35 appearances for Lyon, averaging an impressive 7.24 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

He has managed no goals and just two assists in eight appearances for the Hammers in the Premier League, averaging a solid, if unspectacular, 6.90 rating, which suggests that he is still adapting to the demands of top-flight English football.

While injury kept him out of some games ahead of the World Cup, Moyes will surely be taking note of his performances for The Seleção in Qatar, and he could solve a big problem at the London Stadium by utilising Paqueta in the same role he plays for Brazil.

In Thursday’s 2-0 win against Serbia, the West Ham man started alongside Casemiro ahead of the likes of Fred, Fabinho and Bruno Guimaraes in Tite’s side, which shows how highly he is rated by the Brazil manager.

That selection paid off, as he would earn an impressive 7.2/10 rating from Sofascore for his performance, contributing one key pass from a deeper midfield position.

He also showed that he is capable of doing the dirty work as he produced a solid defensive display, contributing an impressive two clearances and four tackles, which is far more than the 1.5 clearances and 2.3 tackles he has averaged in the Premier League this season.

Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek are Moyes’ preferred midfield partnership at the moment and while they were once considered to be one of the best midfield pairings in the Premier League, the Czech international has struggled for consistent form recently.

Despite being a midfielder, Soucek ranks 13th for pass success rate, joint-1oth for key passes per game and sixth for shots per game in West Ham’s squad this season, with Paqueta ranked ninth, ninth and first for the same statistics, which suggests that it is time for Moyes to use him more often.

This would also free up the likes of Pablo Fornals or Said Benrahma to feature in a number 10 position for the Hammers, so Moyes could solve a big problem by unleashing Paqueta alongside Rice, as it would surely increase the creativity in a side which has managed just 12 goals in the top flight this season.