Arsenal eye deal for Roma defender Roger Ibanez as Mikel Arteta aims to add to his squad in January

Arsenal face West Bromwich Albion in their first game of 2021 on Sunday following much needed back-to-back wins against Chelsea and Brighton.

Mikel Arteta was under huge pressure prior to those two victories having gone seven matches without a victory in the Premier League.

That dismal run of form saw the Gunners linger in 15th place, looking nervously over their shoulder at the relegation zone.

Despite those recent six points only lifting them up to 13th, the Gunners now sit just six points adrift of the top-five.

It’s not quite been the season Arsenal fans expected.

As well as the trip to Sam Allardyce’s struggling Baggies, Arteta will be well aware of the fact that the transfer window has reopened.

According to Calciomercato, the Spanish boss is interested in signing Roma defender Roger Ibanez.

At the age of 22, the Brazilian is impressing in an initial loan spell with the Serie A club from Atalanta, where he moved from last January.

Ibanez has made 16 Roma appearances this term.

However, despite the North London side’s interest, it’s claimed that Roma would be looking for a fee in the region of £30million for the centre-back.

It’s also thought that the Gunners would face competition from fellow Premier League clubs Everton and Leicester City for Ibanez.

With the likes of Gabriel, David Luiz, Pablo Mari, Shkodran Mustafi, Rob Holding and Calum Chambers all on the books at Arsenal, Arteta will have to weigh up whether paying such a substantial fee for another central defender should be his priority.