Three transfers on Andrea Berta's summer Arsenal shortlist after rejected January bid

Premier League leaders Arsenal were relatively quiet during the January transfer window outside of two deadline day youth-team signings

Arsenal were prepared to explore a late signing after receiving confirmation that Mikel Merino required surgery after fracturing a bone in his foot.

However, there were no new senior arrivals once the 7pm transfer deadline had passed and the club instead prioritised strengthening their youth set-up with two signings for their struggling U21s.

Promising 18-year-old Scottish talent Evan Mooney joined from St Mirren for an initial £400k plus bonuses and an undisclosed sell-on clause.

An agreement, worth an initial £500k plus significant add-ons, was also reached with Stoke City for England U19 central defender Jaden Dixon.

Arsenal held loan discussions with Hearts for Scotland international striker James Wilson, who later joined Tottenham, after seeing a fresh £1million bid rejected by Blackburn Rovers for England U18 forward Igor Tyjon.

That is one transfer the Gunners plan to revisit in the summer when his scholarship terms expire at Ewood Park.

Two separate bids were lodged in 2025 but the Championship club dug their heels into the ground as they were optimistic Tyjon would sign a professional contract and end up staying put.

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Rovers will instead receive a training compensation fee, though Arsenal are expected to face stiff competition from both home and abroad for the 17-year-old's signature.

Atalanta are developing interest - the Italians view the player as a prospect for their U23s - while Manchester United and Aston Villa have been linked, too.

A number of top-flight Polish clubs, Tyjon was born in Southport to Polish parents and has also represented Poland at U16 level, are also willing to fast-track him straight into their first-team set-up.

Young Brazilian attacking prospect Belinho of NK Kustosija in Croatia and 17-year-old Red Star Belgrade midfielder Vasilije Kostov are being monitored closely, too.

Where first-team signings are concerned, versatile 19-year-old Real Madrid defender Victor Valdepenas is a key name of interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

He has been on the club's radar for some time now and has been subjected to significant scouting checks. Los Blancos are also aware the Gunners are courting the highly-rated teenager.

Valdepenas' physical profile and ability to play as both a centre-back and left-back means he is viewed as the ideal acquisition to supplement Arsenal's backline as they continue building for the future.

He has only made one senior Real Madrid appearance to date, starting a 2-1 win over Alaves at left-back in December, and has a £43million release clause written into his current contract, which runs until June 2029.

At this moment in time, Arsenal look poised to be handed a clear run at Valdepenas, the biggest obstacles are whether they can actually entice Real into a sale and whether they can convince the player to join them.

Sporting director Andrea Berta has a meticulous eye for young talent and last summer, he was hot in pursuit of Liverpool's new signing Jeremy Jacquet.

There was dialogue with the 20-year-old centre-back's representatives and Arsenal were potentially prepared to move on the player but Jacquet himself was said to be cautious that he needed regular minutes to help fulfil his potential, something the Gunners were unable to offer.

They retained an interest for 2026 but Jacquet's price sky-rocketed and there was next to no chance Arsenal were willing to rival Liverpool and Chelsea given the figures that were quoted.

He has now signed a long-term contract with the Reds and will move to Anfield this summer from Stade Rennes for an initial £55million plus £5million in bonuses.

Yet Arsenal may yet still return to the French market as they're also due to assess a possible swoop for Lille's 18-year-old central midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi in the coming months.

Chelsea are also tracking the France U21 international but sources close to the player have intimated that it's likely to be a straight shootout between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain for the teenager's services.

Bouaddi extended his stay with Lille, signing a new contract until 2029, in December but looks poised to depart the French club in the summer as Les Bleus and Morocco continue to battle it out for his international allegiance.

PSG are expected to push hard for the technician's signature but Arsenal will look to strengthen their midfield options at the end of the season and Bouaddi is emerging as a name of serious interest. He can operate as a No.6 or No.8.