Arsenal Transfer News: Latest on Aleksandr Kokorin, Edinson Cavani Rumours

Cyril Loginov, the agent of Dynamo Moscow forward Aleksandr Kokorin, has revealed the striker could still complete a transfer to Arsenal further down the line.

“Aleksandr, if all well informed, still has a chance [to move in the future] and not just to Arsenal,” said Loginov, per Colin Harvey of the Daily Star. “If Dynamo refused to give Aleksandr to Arsenal in the past transfer window, it does not mean that he can't be where he wants [in the next window].”

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As reported by Harvey, the Gunners have been linked with the Russia international for a while. There are insinuations from Loginov that Dynamo did not make Kokorin aware of a loan offer from Arsenal, but as reported by Sport Witness, speaking to Russia’s Sports Daily, the agent claims a temporary switch was “absolutely correctly refused.”

Loginov also sounded as though he was unconvinced by Arsenal's inability to challenge for the very biggest honours. "I don’t remember many outstanding achievements," he said, per Richard Parry of the London Evening Standard. "Except they recently won the FA Cup. So I don’t know, I don’t know."

Here’s a look at why Arsenal may have made a move for Kokorin:

The Dynamo manager, Andrey Kobelev, has previously blasted Arsenal for only making a loan offer for the player, suggesting the 24-year-old “deserves more than a loan” per Sov Sport (h/t Sport Witness). 

It seems as though there were genuine intentions from the Gunners to get this deal over the line. Manager Arsene Wenger decided not to draft in any outfield players during the summer months, and with Danny Welbeck sidelined with injury problems, it looked as though he’d left Olivier Giroud as his only orthodox centre-forward.

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But Theo Walcott has come into the team in recent weeks and played well at the point of the attack. As noted by WhoScored.com, the England international has been prolific in front of goal in the early weeks of the season:

Kokorin would have most likely been back-up for the likes of Giroud and Walcott, which would have been far from ideal for a player who needs to be playing regular football. When he first burst onto the scene there were high hopes for the forward, which he’s struggled to meet so far. Sitting on the bench at Arsenal would have done little to have enriched his development.

Edinson Cavani Set for PSG Stay

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According to Fichajes.net (h/t Mark Brus of Metro), Edinson Cavani will reject any advances from Arsenal, as he seeks to become the main man at Paris Saint-Germain.

Brus noted the Gunners were interested in signing the Uruguay international during the summer months, but with suggestions the talismanic Zlatan Ibrahimovic will leave the French champions at the end of the current season, Cavani is likely to take his place at the point of the PSG attack from 2016-17 onwards.

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Even though he has been shunted out to the wings on many occasions to accommodate Ibrahimovic through the middle, Cavani remains one of the most prolific players in the French top flight, per OptaJean:

The chance to become the leading man in what is a hugely impressive PSG team will naturally appeal to Cavani, who has been waiting for his chance to become the first-choice centre-forward for a long time. So if Arsenal did have any genuine interest in the former Napoli man, it looks as though they’ve now missed their chance.

As Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Johnson reports here, Cavani’s role seems to be becoming increasingly significant at the Parc des Princes:

Had Arsenal bit the bullet and signed Cavani, he would have given their attack a raw edge. The 28-year-old seems tailor made for the Premier League, as he relishes the physical battle, runs himself into the ground every game and has razor sharp instincts that’d see him get plenty of chances in front of goal.

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But after a few years of major spending, PSG slowly seem to be establishing themselves as one of the very best sides around. Plus, for all of Zlatan’s many talents, with the dynamic qualities of Cavani up top, they could become even more of a force on the domestic and European front in campaigns to come.