Arsenal transfer news: Gunners lead race for Krystian Bielik, but face competition from Hamburg

Legia Warsaw want £2.5m for the Poland Under-17 international who can play at holding midfield or centre-back

Arsene Wenger is looking forward to 2015 (Getty Images)

Arsenal are confident of winning the race with Hamburg to sign the Polish teenage midfielder Krystian Bielik.

The 17-year-old Bielik has just broken into the first team at Legia Warsaw and Arsenal made a £1.6m bid for him at the start of the transfer window. Hamburg, though, are also trying to sign him and he was shown around the Bundesliga club last week.

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Legia Warsaw want £2.5m for the Poland Under-17 international who can play at holding midfield or centre-back and Arsenal are likely to offer close to that this week.

While Bielik would probably not be ready for the Arsenal first team, Arsène Wenger admitted on Sunday night that they are “short” in defence after Mathieu Debuchy dislocated his shoulder against Stoke City.

Debuchy is still undergoing assessment on his right shoulder to establish whether or not he needs surgery, but if he does then he will be out for three months. That would take him into the final month of the season and would be terrible luck for a player who missed three months earlier in the season with an ankle ligament injury.

Arsenal striker Yaya Sanogo is close to joining Crystal Palace on loan for the rest of the season. Sanogo has started just two Premier League games so far this season.