Arsenal have made no secret of their admiration for Barcelona winger Raphinha, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has told GiveMeSport.

Mikel Arteta's side have already missed out on the services of Mykhaylo Mudryk at the Emirates Stadium at the expense of London rivals Chelsea, as the Gunners look for more attacking options this month.

Arsenal transfer news – Raphinha

According to Sport, Arsenal are pursuing a move for Raphinha, as we head towards the closing stages of the transfer window after Arteta's insistence that the club look at bringing the 26-year-old to the Emirates Stadium.

The same report says that the north London outfit have been in contact with the Brazilian star’s representatives, even though the Premier League side have already secured the signature of former Brighton & Hove Albion and Belgium winger Leandro Trossard this month.

Respected journalist Pete O’Rourke has recently told GiveMeSport that the club’s sporting director Edu is a big fan of the Barcelona winger, suggesting that a move could still possibly be on the cards.

And Jacobs has said that whilst Arsenal are big admirers of Raphinha, it’s unlikely that they will pay above the odds to secure his signature in January.

What has Jacobs said about Arsenal and Raphinha?

Jacobs told GiveMeSport: “The admiration from Arsenal for Raphinha is absolutely no secret. They wanted him during the summer, they were the first of three clubs to make a bid to Leeds United before Chelsea and Barcelona. They never really wanted to go above about €50m [almost £44m].

“The final price for Raphinha that Barcelona and Chelsea agreed on was at least €15m, if not closer to €20m above that valuation.

“So, we're seeing a pattern here with Mudryk, Lisandro Martínez, Dušan Vlahović and Raphinha, where Arsenal have a set valuation.”

Would Raphinha be a good signing for Arsenal?

Raphinha – who has previously been dubbed as “frightening” by WhoScored’s Martin Laurence – has struggled to hit the ground running since his move from Leeds to Barcelona last summer.

The 16-cap Brazil international has scored just two goals and provided three assists in 16 La Liga appearances so far this season, as per Transfermarkt.

However, the former Rennes wide man was substantially more consistent during his two seasons in English football, hitting the back of the net 17 times as well as setting up 12 goals in 67 appearances, according to the same stats provider.

Therefore, Arteta may feel that a move for Raphinha would be a sensible move this month, with the winger possessing two years experience of Premier League football as well as providing the Spanish head coach with another attacking option as the Gunners look to continue their charge towards the league title.

You can find all of the latest football news and rumours right here.