“Fabrizio Romano reports that a £50m Arsenal ‘target’ has reached a significant transfer agreement.”

Arsenal are swiftly back in action this week as the Gunners continue to fight on all four fronts under Mikel Arteta. The North London outfit face Newcastle United in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday night before turning their focus to the third round of the FA Cup – as Manchester United visit the Emirates Stadium

The Red Devils have renewed confidence after denting Liverpool’s momentum in the Premier League title race with a 2-2 draw at Anfield – just 24 hours after Arsenal could only manage a 1-1 draw at Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Gunners have been battling a number of injury problems with Bukayo Saka facing an extended spell on the sidelines while Kai Havertz has missed the last two games with illness. Ethan Nwaneri was forced off at half-time against Brighton. He opened the scoring for the Gunners but Arteta said at the weekend: “Really bad news because I think we’ve lost him (Nwaneri), we had to take him off at half-time with some muscular issues.”

Arteta is open to adding to his squad in January but the Gunners have suffered an early blow in their bid to bolster their attacking options with several reports that Wolves star Matheus Cunha has verbally agreed a new contract with the Premier League club.

Cunha a target for Arsenal

Cunha has been linked with a move to North London for a number of months. Football Insider recently reported that Arsenal were looking at a January transfer for the 25-year-old, who has been a shining light during a tough season for Wolves. It was reported late last month that a deal could cost between £50m and £60m. The 25-year-old arrived at Wolves from Atletico Madrid on an initial loan deal in January 2023 and has been a huge hit at Molineux since the £44m move became permanent in the summer of 2023.

Speaking about potential transfers this month, Arteta has previously said: “Let’s see. If there’s an opportunity we will look at it. Let’s see how we get there. Hopefully, the squad is going to be in a much healthier position than it is right now, but who knows? We are prepared if we need to do something, we’re capable of doing something, but then that transfer window is very tricky and difficult to control. The opportunities are very limited but we’ll be there.”

Transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano has reported that a new contract is close for Cunha, whose current deal runs out in the summer of 2027. He wrote on X: “Wolves have agreed on new deal with Matheus Cunha! Deal verbally in place for Brazilian star to extend the contract with salary improved. Despite interest from several clubs, Cunha’s set to sign as soon as official documents are checked/approved.”