Mikel Arteta looks set to be a busy man during the January transfer window as he aims to strengthen his Arsenal side ahead of a crucial few months ahead with the side firmly in a title race.

The club are looking at securing Ukrainian winger Mykhaylo Mudryk while Arteta will be eyeing up a replacement for Gabriel Jesus – who suffered an injury at the World Cup – as Eddie Nketiah is his only senior centre-forward.

There could also be some outgoings too, with Portuguese right-back Cedric Soares attracting the attention of Sporting Lisbon, with their sporting director Hugo Viana meeting with Edu in London.

The Spaniard could be set to replace the 31-year-old with someone a lot younger, Gremio’s Lucas Kawan, with Arsenal keeping a close eye on his development according to Brazilian outlet Band (via TEAMtalk) as they aim to continue building a squad for the future.

Arteta can ditch Cedric for Kawan

Cedric has played just twice in the Premier League this season, accumulating a total of 29 minutes of playing time and it’s clear that his time at the club is coming to an end.

He was even dubbed “shocking” by editor Japeth Mutinda following a performance last season and with both Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu ahead of him in the pecking order, Edu could cash in this month.

He is currently earning £75k-per-week and by moving him on, Arteta can put this to much better use, especially if he is looking at building a squad that could potentially dominate over the next few years.

Kawan only graduated to the Gremio first team in 2022 however he has already been called up for the Brazil U20 squad and his potential is limitless.

The 19-year-old has a contract at Gremio until 2025 and although a price tag is yet unknown, Arsenal face competition from the City group for his signature.

Arteta signed Marquinhos last summer from Brazilian side Sau Paulo and during his few appearances this season, he has impressed and could be a massive part of the club's future.

Delving back into the market for Kawan could work out just as well for the manager and it could give him the licence to ditch Cedric in the process.