Arsenal are facing fresh competition for the signature of Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans, according to reports.
The Belgium international has been on Arsenal's radar throughout the summer and the club is weighing up a late swoop on deadline day.
The Gunners are looking to bolster their midfield before the market closes at 11pm, with Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny having both suffered injuries.
Tielemans is out of contract at the King Power Stadium next summer, and although Brendan Rodgers does not want to lose another key player following Wesley Fofana's exit, Leicester will need to consider any offers they receive.
However, Arsenal are not the only club thinking about a late push for Tielemans: transfer insider Pete O'Rourke has revealed that a "mystery" side has approached Leicester in the last 24 hours.
The Daily Mail believes that team to be Newcastle, who could be about submit a formal offer for the £30m-rated man as they seek to add an additional dose of creativity to their midfield.
Arsenal would then need to decide whether to match the Magpies' bid or withdraw their interest in Tielemans, who may not be available on a free transfer in 2023 after all.
Arsenal will therefore have to move quickly if they want to strike a deal for the former Monaco man, whose current employers face Manchester United on Thursday night.
Meanwhile Arsenal maintained their 100 per cent start to the Premier League season with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa on Wednesday.
The Gunners have won all five of their matches so far in 2022/23 - the first time they have done so since the 2004/05 campaign, when Arsene Wenger's team went on to finish as runners-up behind a Chelsea side managed by Jose Mourinho.
Mikel Arteta's side will return to action against Erik ten Hag's United at Old Trafford in the late kick-off on Sunday.
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Arsenal are still looking for the “mystery winger” to complete their squad, while a midfielder has also been touted.
After Nicolas Pepe left the Gunners for more minutes on loan at Nice, manager Mikel Arteta declared a desire to “add firepower”, though he cannot guarantee a new player will come in. The Gunners have interest in Pedro Neto, as well as a Ukrainian wonderkid.
Mohamed Elneny’s injury means that midfield might need strengthening, too. FFT reported months ago that personal terms with Youri Tielemans were agreed, with the north Londoners just needing to agree a fee with Leicester: now, one obstacle remains. In other news, Bukayo Saka has hinted that he’s close to extending his contract.
