Arsenal have received a bid for a player in their first team, with talks starting over a January exit.
The Gunners mustered a 1-1 draw away to Fulham at the weekend, with injuries and absences forcing manager Mikel Arteta to field an impromptu backline once more. The team's deficiencies were again on show, with little created in open play.
With Arsenal currently a number of first-team players short, the squad might be about to become even sparse yet, with a major player now linked with a winter exit.
Arsenal could be about to make a sale, despite their threadbare squad
Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, shows dejection after the Premier League match between Fulham FC and Arsenal FC at Craven Cottage on December 08, 2024 in London, England.
Mikel Arteta trudges off the pitch at Craven Cottage(Image credit: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Arteta has had serious injuries to contend with all season, with key men Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka both picking up knocks at different points of the campaign. Declan Rice broke a toe, while Gabriel Jesus' fitness has been unreliable, too.
The defence, however, has been worst-hit. Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori have both had to deal with the legacy of serious knee injuries, Takehiro Tomiyasu has been absent all season, Gabriel has recently faced time on the sidelines and Oleksandr Zinchenko has struggled all campaign.
Riccardo Calafiori of Arsenal interacts with teammate Jurrien Timber, as he prepares to enter the field during the Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and Arsenal FC at Villa Park on August 24, 2024 in Birmingham, England.
Timber and Calafiori have struggled to play regularly(Image credit: Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Despite this horrific luck at the back, however, Arsenal are now facing a battle to keep Jakub Kiwior beyond January.
Tuttosport, via Area Napoli, says that Napoli have made a €15 million bid for the Polish centre-back, with discussions ongoing between the two clubs. Arteta doesn't want to entertain the offer – but will accept if he's offered another €10m on top of that.
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Kiwior joined from Spezia in January of 2023 and has been linked with a return to Italy ever since arriving on English shores. Inter Milan tracked the 24-year-old over the summer – but his importance to the side has been reaffirmed by starting the last two games at centre-back in Gabriel's absence.
In FourFourTwo's opinion, Arsenal should hold onto the player until the end of the season – and they are likely to – but there is the possibility that Napoli match the asking price.
Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior
Jakub Kiwior is wanted elsewhere(Image credit: Getty Images)
Should Kiwior leave, a replacement will likely come in. Arsenal have just three fit natural defenders right now.
Kiwior is worth €30m by Transfermarkt. Arsenal take on Monaco this week when Champions League action returns.