Arsenal Transfer News: Latest on Mohamed Elneny and Granit Xhaka Rumours

Arsenal are reportedly set to seal the signing of Basel midfielder Mohamed Elneny imminently, and he will be their only addition in the upcoming January transfer window.

According to Rob Draper in the Mail on Sunday, Elneny will cost £7 million and could complete his move to the Emirates Stadium in the next week.

The Mirror's John Cross indicated that the fee has been agreed and all that remains is for personal terms to be negotiated and Elneny to undergo a medical.

Elneny himself said he had undergone his medical and all but completed his move to the Gunners on Sunday, per Egyptian outlet Ahram Online. 

The Egyptian 23-year-old has shown great potential at Basel—as can be seen below—and Arsene Wenger is clearly looking to bring him in to add strength to his injury-ravaged central midfield:

Francis Coquelin, Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere are all sidelined with long-term injuries, and veterans Mathieu Flamini, Mikel Arteta Tomas Rosicky could all depart the club in the summer when their respective contracts expire.

While Elneny is perfectly capable in defensive midfield, he can also take up a more advanced role to great effect.

He could thus be an excellent short-term replacement for Coquelin while the Frenchman recovers from his injury and also remain a versatile midfielder for the future.

While he is far from the finished article, he has shown great ability to dictate play from midfield, as well as a terrific work rate, and he would likely improve rapidly under Wenger's tutelage.

Given Wilshere's ongoing injury troubles, and the fact a number of Arsenal's central midfielders are ageing, Elneny could be an excellent addition at the Emirates.

Per Draper, Arsenal have also considered a January move for Borussia Monchengladbach's Granit Xhaka, another player able to operate both in the centre of midfield and in a deeper-lying role.

However, the report indicated Arsenal will wait until the summer to lodge a bid for the 23-year-old Swiss and that the club will only then meet the required £15 million transfer fee depending on Wishere's fitness.

Xhaka is a more established, proven performer than Elneny, but he is something of a hothead, per Opta:

Wenger will be hopeful that Elneny can step into the Gunners setup as quickly as possible given Arsenal are looking to maintain a title challenge throughout the season and are struggling with widespread fitness worries.