Arsenal Transfer News: William Carvalho Eyes Dream Move, Latest Gunners Rumours

Arsenal's perpetual dearth of defensive midfield options has seen the club linked with myriad potential acquisitions in the midseason window, and they have received a boost in their reported pursuit of William Carvalho, who has outlined his desire to play in the Premier League.

As noted by John Cross of the Mirror, the Sporting Club midfielder has been linked with both the Gunners and Manchester United of late. The piece quotes Carvalho talking to Portuguese publication Record in which he claims there are teams interested in taking him to England:

"

My dream is to play in England. I know some clubs are interested but my agent Jorge is looking after it and I am relaxed.

Now my mission is to work in Sporting and they will be in charge of any transfer and my future. That is very important.

"

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

The Portuguese international certainly has the requisite presence to make a big impression at the base of Arsenal's midfield. His physicality, energy and defensive instincts make him an ideal candidate to provide some underpinning insurance to the Gunners' polished midfield talents, and as is obvious, it's clear the player quite fancies a move to the Premier League.

He's not enjoying the best campaign this season, however, as noted by Portuguese football expert Jan Hagen:

With that in mind, perhaps Arsenal would be better off targeting a more refined player in that position. Cruzeiro's Lucas Silva is a player touted as a potential option; Bleacher Report's Arsenal correspondent, James McNicholas, looks at the prospects of a deal for him as well as other muted January targets:

Indeed, it's difficult to see manager Arsene Wenger splashing this amount of cash in January. So expect Carvalho to continue his development in Lisbon for the remainder of the campaign and, if his form picks up, for the Gunners to renew their interest in the summer window.

Michael Steele/Getty Images

Swansea City forward Bafetimbi Gomis has also been sounded out as a potential option for the Gunners. That's according to Simon Jones of the Daily Mail, who claims the former Lyon forward is keen to join a bigger club and that Wenger is privy to adding to his array of attacking talents despite the lack of defensive options.

With Wilfried Bony on the cusp of a move to Manchester City, per Luke Augustus of MailOnline, it's unlikely that the Swans will let their next best centre-forward walk out the door. But as quoted in Jones' piece, the striker clearly has eyes for bigger and better things:

"

I know clubs have been speaking to my agent and my agent has been speaking to one very big club so we will see what happens.

I believe I could do a job for most clubs and like any player I want to play in the Champions League.

"

Scott Heavey/Getty Images

Gomis still has a lot to prove in the Premier League, and although he's impressed in glimpses, there's been little tangible to suggest he'd be an upgrade on either Danny Welbeck of Olivier Giroud. After cashing in on Bony for a sizable sum, you suspect the Swans would also want an inflated fee for the Frenchman should they harbour an unlikely desire to sell.

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

If the club are going to bring in anyone in January, it'll most likely be a player for a cut-price or a youngster who can develop at the club. One player in the latter of those two moulds is Legia Warsaw's promising defender, Krystian Bielik, who is a player Arsenal have kept tabs on for a while now.

That's confirmed by Liam Corless of the Mirror, who also notes the Gunners could face stiff competition for the youngster's signature after Hamburg coach Josef Zinnbauer confirmed the German club's interest:

"

Of course Arsenal are also interested but I don't think he is bluffing [about being interested in joining Hamburg], otherwise he didn't need to come to Hamburg.

He is a really good boy who has very good build-up play. He would fit in perfectly with our philosophy.

"

Markus Schreiber/Associated Press

Bielik is clearly a talented young player and, given Arsenal's lack of options at the back, a player who could potentially blossom into a mainstay of their back four. But he's clearly not ready for the Premier League quite yet, and subsequently, Wenger must look at players who are capable of coming into the Emirates and doing a job in the short term.