Arsenal to finalise deal for Denis Suarez

Arsenal are expected to finalise the loan signing of Denis Suarez from Barcelona before Thursday's transfer deadline after a breakthrough in talks with the Catalan club, as per reports.

Unai Emery confirmed at the start of January that the Gunners will not be making any permanent signings during the winter transfer window, but admitted that loan deals are possible.

The north Londoners brought in Lucas Torreira, Bernd Leno, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Matteo Guendouzi during the summer transfer window, and are expecting an increased transfer budget this summer when their new £300 million kit deal with Adidas kicks in.

Suarez, though, has been identified as a player who can compete with Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan for a place on the flanks during the second half of the season, having previously worked under Emery when the two were at Sevilla in the 2014-15 season.

Talks were initially at an advanced stage between the two clubs but broke down after Barcelona insisted on an obligation to buy clause being inserted in the loan agreement.

However, as many expected, the deal is now close to being finalised towards the end of the transfer window with Suarez keen on joining Arsenal following a phone conversation with Emery.