Arsenal transfer rumours and news: Gunners miss out on Javier Hernandez; Tottenham join Ezequiel Lavezzi race

Fresh off the press, all the latest Arsenal transfer rumours as Arsene Wenger targets Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and the bid to sign Adrien Rabiot receives a timely boost

Arsenal have been thwarted in their bid to sign former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez after Bayer Leverkusen told them to look elsewhere, according to reports.

The Mexico international was controversially offloaded by United boss Louis van Gaal in the summer and has since scored 19 goals in 26 matches for the German club. Hernandez, nicknamed ‘Little Pea’, appears increasingly likely to stay at Leverkusen, however, after sporting director Rudi Voller addressed the media this week.

He said: “It’s easy to reject offers when you are in a position you don’t need to sell. We will keep all the players we want to help us achieve our goals.”

Despite that set-back, Arsene Wenger is confident the Gunners will have a new signing to unveil in the next ten days. The North London outfit, who lead the Premier League table, are expected to sign Basel midfielder Mohamed Elneny in the coming days but the Frenchman has refused to openly discuss the transfer.

Wenger said: “I don’t give much away [about transfers] because I don’t know [what’s going on]. I want to talk about them and hopefully we are capable of doing something in the next 10 days. It’s not a dream. Nobody knocks at your door at Christmas and says ‘I have a fantastic player to sell to Arsenal.’ You have to be realistic.”

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is one player whose name never seems far away from Arsenal gossip columns, but reports this morning suggest Liverpool could be about to step in. The Sun speculate that Jurgen Klopp, the Reds manager, could return to raid former club Borussia Dortmund for the £40m-rated forward, severely disrupting the Gunners’ January transfer plans.

A source reportedly told the paper: “An intermediary has made contact with Dortmund about Pierre-Emerick making a move to Arsenal. Wenger knows the fee is very high — yet this is a striker who can make a massive difference for him and help win the title for the first time in 12 years.”

A blast from the very recent past now as rumours persist about Arsenal’s interest in Paris Saint Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot. According to reports in the French capital, Wenger is ready to finally do a deal for the 20-year-old after admiring his abilities for the last two seasons.

Rabiot has been booed by Parisian fans recently after requesting a loan switch away from the club, with several Premier League clubs known to be interested, but PSG would prefer to sell the want-away star. A fee in the region of £15m should be enough to persuade the Ligue 1 outfit to sell as Wenger considers his next move.

PSG winger Ezequiel Lavezzi (Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur could be about to gazump their fiercest rivals Arsenal to the signature of Ezequiel Lavezzi. The Paris winger, a long-term target for the Gunners, is out of contract in the summer, giving Wenger hope in the coming months. But Mauricio Pochettino, the Spurs boss, is reportedly interested in a last-ditch swoop to sign the Argentina international.

According to French TV station Telefoot, the former Southampton manager is confident of stealing a march on his Arsenal counterpart and signing Lavezzi this month to aid his side’s title bid. As if the North London rivalry needed stoking further.