Arsenal hold ‘informal talks’ over surprise move to sign former Chelsea striker: Reports

Diego Costa could make his Premier League return in the last leg of his career as reports of Arsenal holding 'informal talks' to sign the forward emerge in the January transfer window. The 33-year-old striker is a free agent after terminating his contract with Atletico Mineiro just 6 months after joining of the Brazilian club.

Arsene Wenger and William Gallas have made the case for Arsenal to sign Diego Costa over Dusan Vlahovic 👀🔴 #AFC

football.london/arsenal-fc/tra…

Mikel Arteta is desperate to bring in a seasoned striker after their mainstay striker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang remains out of form. The former skipper is currently out of favor at Arsenal and hasn't featured in recent games. He seems to be no longer part of Arteta's plans.

Aubameyang is currently with his national team participating in the AFCON. The Gunners need major reinforcements in their forward line as they look to cement their top four position and qualify for the Champions League next season. Arsenal have also loaned out their 20-year-old striker Folarin Balogun to Middlesbrough.

Two other strikers from Arsenal, Alexander Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah, will also be out of contract this summer. The players have not been offered a contract extension by Arteta as they have so far failed to put in better performances for the club this season.

However, bringing in former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa won't be a fix for Arteta's long-term prospects at the club. The Spanish manager will be looking to fix the striker's problem with the signing of a rather young player.

According to GOAL, the Gunners do not have an official proposal for the player and the talks are happening via informal channels. Costa has offers from other Brazilian clubs as well, including Sao Paulo club Corinthians.

Arsenal-Tottenham North-London derby postponed citing COVID-19 spread

The Arsenal-Tottenham Hotspur North London derby on Sunday, 16 January, has been postponed due to the spread of COVID-19 in the camp. The Gunners had earlier requested the Premier League postpone the match after some of the players tested positive. The request made by Mikel Arteta was that his team does not have enough first team members for the North London derby and hence the match should be rescheduled. However, a new date to hold the match has not been provided by the Premier League.

Arsenal have officially requested that their match against Tottenham on Sunday be postponed due to the lack of available first-team players. https://t.co/VLDVjNcueE

The press release put out by Arsenal also features the unavailability of a few players who are participating in the AFCON as one of the reasons for the postponement of the match.

Tottenham are angry at the request made by Mikel Arteta as they believe there is no outbreak in his camp. Gary Neville reacted to the postponement of the news and said that the outbreak is being used as an excuse by the clubs for not having their best squad available for the game. Neville said:

"The Premier League must stop this now, draw a line in the sand and say all games go ahead unless you have an exceptional amount of cases. It's wrong."

The former Manchester United man's statements come as a bit of a surprise considering the 20-something games that have already been called off prior to the North London Derby.