Arsenal Transfer News: Wenger Ready to Make January Bid for Barcelona Duo

Arsenal and Barcelona have quite a relationship in modern times when it comes to transfers, with the most common one being Barca cherry-picking Arsenal players one at a time, time and again.

This summer also saw Barcelona sign an Arsenal player in skipper Thomas Vermaelen, but for once, it looks like Arsene Wenger got the right end of the stick, after his move for Alexis Sanchez, who has taken the English Premier League by storm.

However, despite Sanchez's success, Arsenal and their old failings have failed to cease, with that ridiculously hopeless 2-1 loss to Swansea putting them a massive 12 points behind leaders Chelsea.

It is only November, and Arsenal's realistic title challenge is already over, making this season a backward step, after Wenger's men at least made an effort of competing for the Premier League title well into the second half of last season.

Even if the Premier League crown looks well beyond the Gunners right now, Wenger is expected to strengthen the side in the January transfer window, with a central defender and a defensive midfielder thought to be the priorities.

However, that does not players from other positions being linked with a move to the Emirates, with Wenger apparently keen on signing Barcelona duo Dani Alves and Pedro Rodriguez, according to the Daily Express.

While Alves is a defender, he is not the kind of defender that Arsenal require at the moment. The right-back has been brilliant for Barcelona over the years, but as his career winds down is expected to leave the Camp Nou come the end of the season.

Alves has been heavily linked with moves to Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea, but Arsenal have moved ahead of the queue for the right-back, according to the report, with Wenger ready to make a £6 million bid in January.

While Alves will bring a bit of much-needed experience at the back, it is debatable if the Brazilian is needed, as Mathieu Debuchy is expected to return before the turn of the year.

What Arsenal desperately require at the moment is a central defender, even if Calum Chambers' susceptibility at right-back was horribly exposed by Jefferson Montero in the loss to Swansea on Sunday.

Pedro is a player that Arsenal have been linked with time and again, with reports in Spain recently suggesting an offer was already on the table for the Spaniard. The forward, who can play in all three positions up front, is not exactly first choice at Barcelona at the moment, and therefore, has been linked with a £24 million move in the January transfer window.

However, with the latest reports suggesting Wenger only has £20 million to spend in January, a deal for Pedro in the next couple of months looks extremely unlikely.

What Wenger needs to do when the transfer window opens in the New Year is go and sign a central defender as quickly as possible, while also looking at the possibility of strengthening his midfield by buying a defensive midfielder who can give more protection to the back-four.