Report: David Luiz Misses Chelsea 1st Team Training Amid Arsenal Rumours

David Luiz reportedly wants to quit Chelsea for London rivals Arsenal. The Gunners are keen on recruiting the Brazil international before Thursday's transfer deadline, and the centre-back reportedly didn't train with senior team-mates on Wednesday. 

Luiz's desire to swap Stamford Bridge for the Emirates Stadium was first reported by L'Equipe's Hugo Delom (h/t Get French Football News). He described "advanced contacts" between the player and the Gunners.

Chelsea are reluctant to let Luiz join a rival, and the Blues' reticence, along with Luiz's willingness to move, prompted him to work away from the first-team group.

However, Matt Law of The Daily Telegraph reported "Chelsea are thought to be open to letting Luiz go with head coach Frank Lampard now unlikely to consider the Brazilian for selection."

Chelsea favour Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen as a starting pair for the club's Premier League opener away to Manchester United on Sunday. Meanwhile, Luiz has been the subject of a "series of fall-outs in the background" this summer.

Even so, it may be something of a risk to let Luiz leave given the rest of Chelsea's options in the heart of defence:

The Blues ought to be particularly wary of letting Luiz join a rival, particularly since he would help fix Arsenal's major weakness at the back. Unai Emery's team conceded 51 league goals last season and saw now-former captain Laurent Koscielny join Ligue 1 outfit Bordeaux on Tuesday.

Arsenal's attempts to bolster the centre of defence have encountered problems recently. Potential moves for RB Leipzig's Dayot Upamecano and Daniele Rugani of Juventus appear to be off, but Emery is still open to adding another centre-back, per Sky Sports (h/t Football.London's James Benge):

Luiz makes sense as an option in this context, given the 32-year-old's ample Premier League experience and success at the top levels of the European game. Arsenal's chances of landing the player could also be boosted by his agent, Kia Joorabchian.

MailOnline's Simon Jones and Sami Mokbel detailed how Joorabchian helped Edu become technical director for the Gunners this summer.

Luiz may not be seen by all as the solution to Arsenal's defensive woes since the South American is often viewed as rash and mistake-prone. Yet for all the criticism, Luiz is a serial winner who collected numerous trophies, including the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, while at Chelsea.

He also lifted silverware during a two-year stint with Paris Saint-Germain.

At his best, Luiz is effective in the air, particularly in the opposition box, poses a significant threat from set-pieces and is comfortable on the ball:

As a short-term option who would offer experience and quality, Luiz would represent a smart signing at Arsenal's biggest position of need. The Gunners can't afford to wait until William Saliba, signed from Saint-Etienne this summer and quickly loaned back, arrives for defensive help.

Emery needs to act in the next 24 hours, so Luiz makes sense as a realistic target who appears motivated to leave his current club.