Arsenal Transfer News: Gunners Face Yacine Brahimi Competition, Top Rumours

Arsenal could face competition from Premier League rivals Everton for reported transfer target Yacine Brahimi. The Gunners are said to be interested in the dynamic FC Porto winger, but reports state the Toffees have already opened talks for the £40 million-rated Algeria international.

Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports detailed Everton's interest, citing Sky sources:

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It is understood the Toffees are very interested in the 26-year-old Algeria international and talks have progressed well.

However, Sky sources understand convincing the player to make the move to Goodison Park is proving more problematic because his preference is a move to one of England's Champions League clubs.

It is believed Brahimi, who has scored 21 goals in 77 appearances for the Portuguese club, already rejected a big money offer from China this summer, and Porto left him out of their Champions League squad in midweek.

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This comes after a report from Tom Hopkinson of the Sunday Mirror indicated Arsenal are keen on Brahimi as an alternative to Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez: "Liverpool and Chelsea have considered moves of their own for the Algerian, who wants to leave Porto. Now Wenger has been alerted to his availability after Mahrez penned a new four-year Foxes deal."

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Brahimi would seem like a strange fit for Arsenal, with the club facing more pressing needs at centre-forward and centre-back. Yet the 26-year-old could offer a lot to manager Arsene Wenger's struggling team, even though Bleacher Report's Dean Jones isn't convinced by the rumour:

For one thing, Brahimi is talented enough to finally solve Arsenal's longstanding issues on the right wing. Wenger has tried strikers and central midfielders in that berth, but players such as Danny Welbeck, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain haven't made the position their own.

Theo Walcott usually gets the nod, but the 27-year-old England man remains wildly inconsistent. It doesn't help that Arsenal's other options for the flanks have already been thinned this summer.

Wenger has sent Joel Campbell on loan to Porto's rivals Sporting Lisbon, a move confirmed on the club's official Twitter account:

Campbell's exit comes after Alex Iwobi was ruled out for a month after picking up an injury in the season-opening 4-3 home defeat to Liverpool, per ESPN FC's Mattias Karen. 

So Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain, two players who always seem to struggle to stay fit, are the main choices for the wings. Alexis Sanchez can play there, but Wenger has been at pains lately to stress how he sees the Chilean as a centre-forward.

Wenger recently compared Sanchez to Barcelona's Luis Suarez and seems confident about the prolific No. 7's ability to eventually make the grade through the middle, per Sky Sports: "I think it is worth to try as he has the quality to go behind."

Those comments suggest a winger deal could be on Wenger's mind, even though Sanchez has struggled as a central striker in Arsenal's first two league games this season. However, if Wenger doesn't believe he can find the right or affordable quality on the transfer market, he'll happily look for internal solutions at the position.

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Yet Sanchez switching positions isn't the only reason the Gunners might be tempted to put up a fight for Brahimi. Adding a tricky, jet-heeled player who can go past defenders and fashion chances would ease the creative burden on Mesut Ozil.

Wenger's squad is very reliant on its central schemers, such as Ozil and Santi Cazorla. Having a player who promotes genuine width and carries a major threat outside would add some much-needed variety to Arsenal's game.

Brahimi has the skills to add that extra edge. He's lightning-quick and displays astonishing close control. In 2014, he became the first Algerian to win the BBC African Footballer of the Year award—a testament to his match-winning potential.

While he hasn't always been the most consistent since then, Brahimi can decide any game on his day.

During a summer when a lack of transfer activity has marred the start to Arsenal's season, completing a deal for Brahimi would be more than just a morale boost. It would be smart business to solve one of the big problem positions in the current team.