10am Arsenal transfer news LIVE: Spurs north London derby, Monreal set for shock Barcelona move, £4m Brazilian teen linked

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It is north London derby day!

And Arsenal can go within a point of rivals Tottenham in third place with a win today at Wembley.

Unai Emery dropped a number of hints that Mesut Ozil will start against Spurs – but refused to confirm it.

The German midfielder looked back to his best when he scored and bagged an assist during Arsenal's 5-1 win over Bournemouth on Wednesday.

Ozil has fallen out of favour this season and he was dropped for December's 2-0 defeat to Spurs for “tactical reasons”.

But Emery sounded like he was ready to put his faith back into the 30-year-old when he faced the press yesterday.

On the transfer front, Nacho Monreal could be the next big name heading out of Arsenal this summer with Barcelona reportedly lining up a swoop.

Spanish outlet Sport claims Ernesto Valverde wants to bring the 33-year-old left-back to the Nou Camp for the next two years when his contract expires at the end of June.

Despite his age, Monreal remains one of the top performers in Unai Emery’s squad.

But with Arsenal looking to slash their wage budget, he is yet to be offered a new deal and could instead be set to play back-up to Jordi Alba – who has just penned a five-year contract extension.

It means fans could be set to bid farewell to yet another Emirates favourite at the end of the campaign.

The Gunners have already lost Aaron Ramsey on a free transfer to Juventus.

While legendary goalkeeper Petr Cech has announced he will hang up his gloves after a trophy-laden career.

Monreal’s exit would also leave Arsenal with just one recognised left-back in Sead Kolasinac, meaning they would need to dip into the transfer market for a replacement.

But with the purse strings tightened, it remains to be seen whether Emery can land another defender with the same attributes as Monreal.

There are doubts over veteran right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner’s future too, meaning Arsenal may be forced to find cover on both flanks instead of focusing all their resources on areas of the squad which are in desperate need of strengthening.

Meanwhile, the Gunners are set to offer £4million for Brazilian teen Gabriel Martinelli, according to reports.

The 17-year-old midfielder has shone for Ituano this season and attracted interest from a host of other Brazilian clubs.

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