Arsenal news: Mikel Arteta's assistant names huge transfer target as Kai Havertz latest emerges

· Mirror

Arsenal's interest in a world class player has been confirmed by Mikel Arteta's assistant

A whopping 17 Arsenal players were called up by their national teams for the current international break. Several of them have already lit up the Nations League, with captain Martin Odegaard most notably notching two assists for Norway and Christos Tzolis getting on the scoresheet for Greece.

A large Gunners contingent will also face off tonight as World Cup winners Spain take on third-placed finishers England. But Mikel Arteta’s priority will be for all of his players still on international duty to arrive fit and healthy for Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Leeds United on October 10.

The Premier League champions kicked off the 2026/27 campaign with seven straight wins across the Community Shield, league, Champions League and Carabao Cup. That run ended with a shock 3-0 demolition at Brighton in their last fixture - something Arteta and his staff will be eager to put right.

Now, Mirror Football brings you the latest Arsenal news from the international break.

Huge transfer target named

Arteta’s assistant coach, Miguel Molina, has confirmed Arsenal’s summer pursuit of Vinicius Junior. In late July, the north Londoners emerged as a serious potential destination for Vinicius.

The 26-year-old winger had only a year left on his contract and was widely claimed to have hit a wall in negotiations over a new deal with Real Madrid. Arsenal sought to capitalise on his uncertainty by reportedly agreeing personal terms in a deal which would have made Vinicius their highest-paid player by some distance.

However, the Gunners were left surprised when Real Madrid bosses performed a sudden U-turn and offered the Brazilian an improved contract extension until 2032, ending Arsenal’s hopes of sealing his signature.

Molina, who joined his compatriot’s backroom staff back in August 2020, recently appeared as a guest on Radio Marca’s La Tribu, where he was asked about Arsenal’s interest in Vinicius.

He said: "Yes, of course. Obviously, I can’t stray from the facts, but he [Vinícius] was a name that was on the table, yes." The Brazilian’s decision to remain at the Bernabeu doesn’t seem to have worked out in his favour yet, however, as he has gone nearly a month without finding the net.

Kai Havertz injury latest

Kai Havertz will return to Arsenal and undergo an assessment after suffering an injury during Germany’s first Nations League fixture against the Netherlands. The 27-year-old striker was forced to come off in the first half of the 1-1 draw on Thursday evening.

His international break is over due to the suspected hamstring injury, which came as a result of a reckless challenge by Arsenal team-mate Jurrien Timber’s twin brother, Quinten. However, The Athletic reports that there is optimism regarding Arteta’s star striker, with the early belief being that his injury is not serious. Havertz is set to return to N5 for assessment and recovery.

The German has started off the season as Arteta’s first-choice striker over Viktor Gyokeres. And the manager’s heart would have been in his mouth after Havertz went to ground clutching his hamstring, having missed much of last season.

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