Premier League Rumors: Gunners Covet Tyrone Mings, Secure David Luiz

KEY POINTS

Arteta is looking to beef up defense with Tyrone Mings
Mings may be too expensive for Gunners
Luiz agrees to a one-year deal

Arsenal suffered back-to-back losses last week, falling to Manchester City and then Brighton. Their defensive area needs an upgrade. One person that Mikel Arteta is reportedly considering is Tyrone Mings. But although the English center-back is a plausible choice, critics doubt that this will materialize.

Some feel that the Gunners may lack the funds to afford the 27-year-old player, who has come into his own, according to The Athletic. He signed with Aston Villas last summer for $25 million, and his performance since then has captured the eye of several Premier League clubs. Hence, it may be best for Arteta to skim the market further for other talents unless they come up with a way to raise funds to facilitate a transfer.

For now, Arteta will have to find a way to fill up the void. Pablo Mari is likely to be out until November after suffering an ankle injury.

But the good news is that the case of David Luiz has been settled. According to the latest report from Sky Sports, the Brazilian has agreed to a one-year contract extension. Luiz's contract was due to expire on June 30, and there were reports that he was seeking a two-year deal.

In related news, Mari and Cedric Soares have made their loan moves permanent from Flamengo and Southhampton, respectively. Dani Ceballos also saw his loan deal extended from Real Madrid until the end of the season.

"I am really happy that we will have these players in our squad for the future. They have been part of the long-term technical plan Mikel and I have developed. They bring the right balance to our squad," Arsenal technical director Eduardo César Daud Gaspar said.

Aston Villa's defender Tyrone Mings is mobbed as fans poured onto the pitch after their 2-1 win over Leicester AFP / Paul ELLIS

Arteta will next have to address the deals of three other players. These are Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil and Bukayo Saka. The deals of these players do not expire until 2021, but securing them as early as now is needed. If not, they could walk out free next summer.

Of the three, the one nearing a new deal is Aubameyang. The signing is all that is left to settle the Gabon national's future though it was delayed. A reason for that is that the father of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wants to be present when the signing is done. Much of this was covered in a previous post.