Arsenal are continuing to monitor Atletico Madrid midfielder Alex Baena ahead of the winter transfer window.
According to FootballTransfers, Arsenal are considering the 25-year-old Spaniard as an option to strengthen the left side of their attack. A potential move could affect Eberechi Eze's position in Mikel Arteta's team.
Arsenal signed Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge last summer, but did not find a full replacement for Gabriel Martinelli or sign a new first-choice centre-forward.
Arsenal tried unsuccessfully to sign Vinicius Junior, Morgan Rogers and Julian Alvarez. The club's hierarchy now consider strengthening the attack one of their main priorities for 2027.
Other potential signings on their list include Bournemouth's Eli Junior Kroupi, Juventus' Kenan Yildiz and Brentford's Kevin Schade.
Why Arsenal are interested in Baena
The Spaniard has long established himself as one of La Liga's most productive attacking midfielders. He contributed to 40 goals in 78 appearances across his final two seasons at Villarreal.
His first season at Atletico was less convincing, but Baena has improved considerably after a successful World Cup campaign with Spain.
He has scored five goals and provided four assists in 15 appearances in all competitions this season.
Baena is not as quick as Martinelli, but stands out for his technique, vision and ability to create chances. Those qualities make him a potential first-choice left winger for Arsenal in place of Tzolis.
The Spaniard can also play as an attacking midfielder, although he operates predominantly on the left for Atletico.
What happens to Eberechi Eze?
The potential signing of Baena could complicate matters for Eberechi Eze, who can also play on the left and centrally in attack.
The Englishman has yet to show the consistency at Arsenal that he displayed during his time at Crystal Palace.
The Spaniard's arrival would increase competition in several positions and could reduce Eze's playing time.
For now, however, Arsenal's interest is all that has been reported. They are monitoring Baena's situation, but there is no agreement with Atletico and completing a transfer in January could prove difficult.
