Arsenal Transfer News: Arsene Wenger Eyeing Nolito, Latest Dani Ceballos Rumours

The Spanish media just won't give up on the rumours linking Celta Vigo star Nolito with a move to Arsenal, with Fichajes (h/t Metro's George Bellshaw) the latest to claim that the Gunners have a real interest in the former Barcelona man.

Nolito has established himself as one of La Liga's most productive and versatile forwards in the last two years, and according to Fichajes, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is “intensely monitoring” the 28-year-old.

The Spain international has started the season in incredible form, with five goals in his first seven La Liga starts, as noted by WhoScored.com. Last year, he scored 13 goals and added 13 assists in La Liga.

OptaStats analysed some of his key statistics for Goal, explaining why both Barcelona and Arsenal are reportedly so interested in his services:

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Only Karim Benzema has outscored Nolito so far this season. The 28-year-old is on par with Cristiano Ronaldo and Imanol Agirretxe of Real Sociedad.

Nolito also leads La Liga in assists with three - as many as Alberto Lora of Sporting Gijon and Gareth Bale, though the Wales star has played just four games due to injury. And during the 2014-15 season, only Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez directly contributed to more goals than Nolito (13 goals, 13 assists), who matched the likes of James Rodriguez (13 goals, 13 assists) and Carlos Bacca (20 goals, six assists), and outperformed Bale (13 goals, nine assists).

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Clearly, Nolito is a good player who has finally found his feet after inconsistent spells with Barcelona and Benfica. The talent has always been there, but the Spaniard never really had the chance to play consistent minutes and show his quality. In Galicia, that has changed, and he has made the most of his opportunities.

While he may not be the youngest player—and his upside could be limited, as he won't develop much moving forward—Nolito presents an attractive transfer target as a low-risk, high-reward signing who shouldn't cost too much.

According to EFE (for AS), his current buyout clause is just €18 million, although Celta Vigo are planning on offering him a new deal that would see the clause pushed up to €25 million. The player maintained that he will sign the proposed deal, via Barcastuff:

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Nolito (Celta): "Renewal postponed due to interest other clubs? It's basically done, no problems. I'm not holding out for January window."

— barcastuff (@barcastuff) October 5, 2015"

Nolito seems destined to end up back at the Camp Nou, however, and any links with other potentially interested clubs seem like little more than rumours. The player himself has already made it very clear he would love to join the Blaugrana in whatever role they offer when speaking to Radio Marca (h/t Goal), and given the Catalans' depth issues, a transfer seems almost inevitable.

Barcelona have struggled dealing with injuries to Lionel Messi and Rafinha, highlighting the lack of options manager Luis Enrique can fall back on since Pedro's move to Chelsea. Nolito is a perfect fit as someone who knows the culture of the Blaugrana, and a move back to Catalonia makes too much sense for the forward.

Arsenal may very well be interested, but Barcelona are the obvious front-runners, and given their need for depth, a January move seems like a safe bet.

Dani Ceballos Blow

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

More from La Liga, where Real Betis youngster Dani Ceballos is now expected to sign a new deal with his current club, according to AS (h/t talkSPORT). The 19-year-old was reportedly a transfer target for Arsenal and Liverpool, as his contract is set to expire at the end of the season.

Ceballos played a vital role in Betis' return to La Liga last season and is widely regarded as one of the top young talents the country has produced in years. Yahoo Sport UK's Andrew Gaffney is a fan:

Blessed with pace, technique, vision and a superb football IQ for such a young player, Ceballos is reminiscent of Real Madrid's Isco, another player who had little trouble pulling the strings for his team even at an early age.

Ceballos' potential is as impressive as it is obvious, so naturally Real Betis are determined to extend his contract beyond the 2015-16 campaign. With interest in his services high, the club will at the very least want to cash in, although they'd prefer to keep him around altogether.

For now, that may be a good thing for all parties involved. Ceballos is still a raw prospect with plenty to learn, and for the sake of his development, he would be better off staying with Betis for at least two more seasons. If he continues to improve at the same spectacular rate, interested clubs will return shortly with improved offers.

The Gunners should―and likely will―continue to monitor the teenager and his development in Spain, but for now, a move to the Premier League in the near future seems unlikely.

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