Arsenal to deal Lens another blow with January transfer move

James Shearman

• Updated: 30 Nov 2023 14:12 GMT
• 3 min read

Arsenal beat Lens 6-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday night but they could deal them another blow in the January transfer window.

The Gunners have long been admirers of Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz, who would be an excellent partner for Declan Rice in the centre of midfield.

Luiz was linked with a move to the North London club in the summer but he ended up staying with Unai Emery at Villa Park.

However, Luiz's superb performances in the 2023-24 season, in which he has scored five Premier League goals, have seen Arsenal resurrect their interest.

And, while Villa are reluctant to let go of one of their star players, they have been preparing for his potential exit.

Indeed, they have identified Lens midfielder Salis Abdul Samed as the man to replace Luiz, according to TEAMtalk.

Samed, a senior Ghana international, played an important role in Lens' second-place finish in Ligue 1 last season and continues to impress, despite the heavy defeat to Arsenal.

It will reportedly take a fee of around £30 million to convince Lens to sell, much less than what Luiz would be sold to the Gunners for.

Another Arsenal transfer target

Arsenal have reportedly joined the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen right-back Jeremie Frimpong.

Frimpong is likely to leave the Bundesliga leaders next summer due to a €40 million release clause in his contract.

And, according to transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners are one of several teams vying for his signature.

"Frimpong has been scouted by Arsenal and Bayern Munich in recent times, as well as Barcelona before signing Joao Cancelo on loan from Manchester City in the summer," Romano told CaughtOffside.

"He is certainly a very admired player in Europe after some fantastic performances this season."

Meanwhile, Manchester United are also thought to be interested in the player as their defence is in need of reinforcements.