Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Roque Mesa and Phil Jones
Arsenal have reportedly contacted Spanish outfit Las Palmas regarding a move for midfielder Roque Mesa, but Leicester City are also understood to be in the race. Meanwhile, Phil Jones is attracting the Gunners' interest.
According to Spanish radio station Cope (h/t Football Insider's Harvey Byrne), both Arsenal and Leicester have enquired about Mesa's availability with the intention of signing the playmaker during the January transfer window.
Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty ImagesMesa is a diminutive figure at just 5'7".
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger already strengthened his engine room with the £30 million acquisition of Borussia Monchengladbach's Granit Xhaka during the summer, but more reinforcements are desired.
Sport Witness revealed that Mesa also has a €30 million (£25.7 million) release clause in his Las Palmas contract, although the Gunners could hope to complete a transfer for less than that figure:
The deal is complicated, however, by the fact that Las Palmas are attempting to extend Mesa's stay at Estadio Gran Canaria, having allegedly seen their star come close to joining Sevilla in the summer, per Byrne.
Scouts In Attendance provided further context on the interest of his Premier League suitors, as well as giving Gunners fans some insight into the kind of asset their club's understood to be chasing:
Mesa has played the full 90 minutes in all four of Las Palmas' LaLiga fixtures this season and also captained the team in their most recent domestic result, a 1-0 win over Malaga.
Las Palmas are hardly desperate to sell, considering the 5'7" Mesa (27) won't see his current contract expire until the summer of 2020, although Arsenal's plight could be aided if their target begins to push for a winter exit.
Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty ImagesJones made just 10 league appearances in 2015-16.
Elsewhere, the north Londoners are understood to be examining Jones' situation at Old Trafford and would snap the centre-back up if Manchester United decided to sell, according to the Sun (h/t David Wright of the Daily Express).
Jones' stock has dropped in recent years following a string of injuries and high-profile arrivals in defence, and football writer Henry Jackson outlined his fall from grace since arriving from Blackburn Rovers in 2011:
The England international started just six Premier League games under previous manager Louis van Gaal last season, while new boss Jose Mourinho hasn't shown any inclination to promote Jones.
Arsenal pounced to recruit former Red Devil Danny Welbeck after learning the striker was up for grabs in 2014, and United's domestic rivals could launch another move for an out-of-favour asset.
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