Arsenal Transfer News: Danilo Considered, Calum Chambers Exit, Latest Rumours

Arsenal are reportedly targeting Porto midfielder Danilo Pereira as they look to add reinforcements in January.

According to Portuguese outlet O Jogo (h/t Aaron Flanagan of the Mirror), Danilo "is reportedly being considered" by the Gunners, and according to football writer Jan Hagen, the newspaper places him at the "top of Arsenal's wishlist:"

Arsenal have little credible cover in defensive midfield beyond Francis Coquelin, so a player such as Danilo would be a highly useful acquisition.

Mikel Arteta, who was never a natural holding player prior to joining Arsenal, is 33 and seeing his form decline somewhat, while Mathieu Flamini lacks the discipline to maintain his defensive position and has a tendency to abandon his duties in order to make forays upfield.

A capable defensive midfielder with great physicality and strong in the tackle, the 24-year-old could be just the player to provide a quality alternative to Coquelin and help solidify Arsenal's spine as they bid to win the Premier League title.

Indeed, with Chelsea struggling and the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United failing to win consistently, this season represents the Gunners' best chance of claiming the prize in more than a decade.

To that end, Arsenal should be looking to shore up their problem areas in January, and recruiting Danilo would do just that.

As Hagen noted, Arsenal have monitored him for some time and seem to have stepped up their interest this season:

Further, the writer believes he would make an excellent signing and might not be as costly as his buyout clause would suggest:

The Portugal international could well attract attention from other clubs, particularly if Arsenal wait until the summer to make a move, so the Gunners would be wise to try and bring him in sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, Arsenal could be set to allow Calum Chambers to return to former club Southampton on loan until the end of the season, according to an exclusive from Daniel Cutts of the Sun.

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The youngster has featured for just 438 minutes in all competitions this season and finds himself well down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium.

At just 20, Chambers has great potential, so Arsenal are likely not looking to sell him, but a temporary switch would allow him to gain more experience.

Meanwhile, the Saints have this term struggled to live up to their performances of last year and are no longer quite as solid defensively, so they would likely welcome a return for the Englishman.

As Cutts noted, Chambers would only be allowed to depart provided Mathieu Debuchy remains at the club so as not to leave the Gunners short of cover. The Frenchman could well be seeking a move of his own, though, ahead of Euro 2016, so it's a far from guaranteed that Chambers will be sent out on loan.

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The Gunners have also reportedly made an inquiry about Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez, per Simon Jones of MailOnline.

The 24-year-old is having a sublime season, having accrued 14 goals and six assists so far. However, as Jones also noted, Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri is determined to keep his stars and has told Mahrez he won't be going anywhere in January.

Arsenal may well go in for him in the summer, and it's unlikely they'll be able to prise him away before then.