Arsenal transfer: Nottingham Forest make Arteta’s ‘big wish’ their ‘primary target’ for January

Nottingham Forest have made top Arsenal target Matheus Cunha their ‘primary target’ for the January transfer window, according to reports.
The Gunners are looking for reinforcements in attacking positions in the winter window after Gabriel Jesus suffered a season-ending injury earlier this month.
His injury has left Arsenal short with Bukayo Saka another absentee over the next month or two and Mikel Arteta is reportedly concentrating his transfer efforts on Wolves forward Cunha.
However, the Daily Mail now claim that high-flying Nottingham Forest – who are level on points with Arsenal in the Premier League – have emerged as serious competition.
The report insists that Forest have placed the Wolves attacker ‘at the top their January shopping list’ as they compete with Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham for his signature.
Forest are ‘ready to enter the market for a new attacker this month’ and Cunha has been ‘identified as a primary target by the City Ground club ahead of the transfer deadline’.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side – who have also made a £22m offer for Brentford’s Yoane Wissa – ‘have a serious interest’ in the Brazilian as third-placed Forest currently look likely to be able to provide him with Champions League football next season.
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A separate report in Spanish website Fichajes claims that Arsenal will ‘go all out for a Premier League star in the final days of January’ with Cunha the player they are talking about.
Cunha is said to be the Gunners’ ‘big wish’ before the end of the transfer window and are ‘willing to make a significant effort to achieve his incorporation in the next few days’.
The report continues: ‘The Gunners’ board is working hard to close the deal before the end of January, aware that reinforcing the attack with a player of these characteristics can make the difference in such a competitive league.’
Speculation ramped up on Monday night as Cunha was reprimanded by his manager Vitor Pereira with the Wolves boss unhappy by the Brazilian’s body language.
Pereira said: “I had this conversation in the dressing room. He can be frustrated because he wants to win, but everybody in the team wants to win.
“I don’t like this body language. I want someone as a captain trying to help the team – running, suffering, fighting together. This is something I can understand. Next time, I will not understand.”
On Arsenal getting linked to a new forward signing every day for the last fortnight, Arteta told reporters: “I love it!.
“I understand it happens. In the summer I had a lot of people texting me saying: ‘you’re after him?’ and sometimes I don’t even know what they’re talking about.
“I don’t follow that too much, I have enough work to do and we’ve got a lot of things on so I don’t get too distracted by it.”