Arsenal Transfer News: Top Rumours on Arsene Wenger's Key January Targets

Has the message finally gotten through to Arsene Wenger? After leaving Arsenal desperately short in defence and defensive midfield positions for the current season, the latest murmurings on the cusp of the January window seem to indicate that the Gunners boss is set to finally address these perennial problems.

The man the Arsenal boss has targeted to bolster his centre-back options may come as something of a surprise, however.

According to Steve Stammers of the Mirror, the Gunners are looking to bring in St Etienne skipper Loic Perrin in the midseason window, a 29-year-old defender capable of doing a job at full-back and in central midfield, too.

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Perrin has been a vital figure for St Etienne recently, and as noted here by French football expert James Eastham, he's not really got the recognition his steadying influence deserves:

With the player likely to cost around £6 million according to Stammers’ piece, and also potentially available to lend a hand to Arsenal's European exploits, it's a deal that would make a lot of sense for the Gunners, even if it doesn't sate the supporters' desire for a really big name.

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Sadly for those fans hoping for a high-profile acquisition, Wenger has never been a manager to splash the cash freely in the January window.

But according to Joe Bernstein of the Mail Online, that trend could be about to change, with the Gunners reportedly lining up a £20 million bid for Sporting Clube de Portugal's William Carvalho:

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Talks between the two clubs broke down in the autumn after Carvalho was valued at £30m by his Portuguese team.

But with Arsene Wenger taking Arsenal through to the Champions League knockout stages, where they face Monaco, the importance of solving their well-documented defensive problems have increased. Carvalho, 22, is one of the very few top international-class players who will probably be available in January.

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Arsenal have been linked with myriad defensive midfield options in the mould of Carvalho, with Stammers' aforementioned piece claiming that the Gunners' primary January target remains Southampton man Morgan Schneiderlin. He's a player for whom Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe has high praise:

Carvalho is nowhere near as refined as Schneiderlin and remains a little naive in his defensive duties against top-quality opposition. Indeed, as noted here by ESPN's Jeff Borzello, the Portuguese international failed to impress at all recently against English opposition in the Champions League:

That could well prevent any deal going through, in addition to Wenger's reluctance to spend big midseason.

But with Arsenal needing an assured and accomplished presence in that area of the pitch, there would be few complaining if the club decided not to pursue the 22-year-old's signing with any kind of gumption.

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Another man who looks increasingly unlikely to join up at the Emirates midseason is Edinson Cavani, after Wenger revealed the club has not made a big-money move for the player, per Alex Harris of the Daily Star:

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I don't give any importance to rumours.

There was a rumour two days ago in France that I offered £62 million for Cavani from Paris Saint-Germain. Everyday there is a different rumour so I don't give importance to that.

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According to fichajes.net (h/t Jamie Sanderson of Metro), the Gunners are closing in on a £50 million move for the Paris Saint-Germain striker, but it seems as though those details are well wide of the mark.

Nonetheless, here's a look at what Cavani could potentially bring to the Arsenal attack:

While he is an industrious player and a multi-faceted forward who provides a real effervescent presence in advanced areas, Cavani isn't too clinical a finisher, as we can see here courtesy of WhoScored.com:

In January he doesn't look to be a viable or, indeed, a desired option. And with the Gunners in desperate need of reinforcements elsewhere in their squad, splashing a sizeable amount on another forward would be wholly misguided.

Get those defensive areas sorted, however, and a player like Cavani would be ideal to add a sprinkling of additional class to Arsenals forward line.