Arsenal are now reportedly open to the idea of signing Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo, following an injury to new signing Jurrien Timber.

The Gunners were dealt a serious blow when Timber was withdrawn during what was otherwise an excellent Premier League debut, and it now appears that he could be set for an extended absence with a long-term knee injury.

Arsenal may now enter the market for a replacement, and they were previously linked with Cancelo. The Portuguese star is set to leave City after falling out of favour with Pep Guardiola, and he has agreed personal terms with Barcelona.

Journalist Ryan Taylor has now revealed in The Express that Mikel Arteta and Edu are open to Signing Cancelo as a replacement for Timber, but they face a problem as City would prefer not to strengthen a rival.

“Arteta and sporting director Edu would also be open to the prospect of signing Joao Cancelo if a deal was deemed financially viable, although once again, there is huge doubt City would be prepared to strike an agreement with Arsenal or any other direct rival,” Taylor stated.

Cancelo unlikely to happen

Although he could be a good addition, given his ability to play on both sides of the defence, it is hard to imagine Arsenal signing the 29-year-old, who was described as “world-class” at Bayern Munich, in this transfer window.

A deal to take him to Barcelona seems more likely, given his desire to go there as well as Guardiola’s preference to send star players abroad.

City sold Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal last year, but both players helped propel the Gunners to a title challenge, and they will now be keen to avoid the same mistake in helping out title rivals.

If Arsenal are indeed keen to add another option to the squad, they may have to look elsewhere.

The post Report: Arsenal now open to signing ‘world-class’ player after recent developments appeared first on Arsenal Insider.