According to The Pitch Prospect, Arsenal are considering a deadline day signing following Mikel Merino’s injury setback.
The midfielder missed his side’s win at Leeds United on Saturday due to a foot problem.
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Mikel Arteta confirmed after the game that the Spaniard would see a specialist to determine the severity of the injury.
The Gunners now fear that Merino could be out for a long period of time, which could put a damper on their title hopes.
Although the exact details of his injury have not yet been confirmed, the club fear he could be sidelined for several weeks.
After Arsenal’s win at Elland Road, Arteta declared: “He has a problem in his foot.”
“It’s a bone that’s causing him pain and we’ve had some tests. We need more specialists to look at it and see how long he’ll be out.”
Merino has scored six goals and provided three assists in 33 appearances across all competitions so far this season.
Arsenal transfer plans
His injury means Arsenal could now look for a replacement in the transfer market on deadline day.
For Premier League clubs, the window is scheduled to close at 7:00 p.m. GMT on Monday.
Arteta has yet to make any additions to his squad in the winter transfer window following his £260.5m summer spending spree.
However, he hinted at possible new signings before the window began.
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At the end of December, Arteta admitted: “The window is there and I mean, we are Arsenal and we have to be clear: ‘Okay, what do we need?'”
“And we have to actively search, and then it’s a different story whether we make it or not.”
“But our job is to always be very well prepared because something can happen, so hopefully it will be very positive.”
“If you look at the other clubs, they have 24 or 25 squad players.
“Although we have had more injuries than expected, some of which were unavoidable, we want to get better and know how important having the right player availability will be this season.”
Merino’s absence would leave Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard and Martin Odegaard as midfield options for the Gunners.
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Merino can also play as a backup striker as he represented the injured Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus several times in the second half of last season.
The Premier League leaders are likely to need even more depth in the remaining months of the season as they hunt for titles on four fronts.
As well as their title challenge, the north London side are also preparing for the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea on Tuesday.
Arsenal lead 3-2 after winning at Stamford Bridge three weeks ago.
Meanwhile, they host Wigan Athletic in the fourth round of the FA Cup in February.
The Gunners are also in the round of 16 of the Champions League after finishing the league phase with a perfect record of eight wins from eight games.
Elsewhere, Arsenal’s medical team is already investigating an injury to Bukayo Saka which forced him off on Saturday.
The winger was replaced in the starting XI by Noni Madueke after he withdrew during the warm-up.
Youngster Max Dowman is also currently out, with a possible return planned for later this month.