Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny has been ruled out of action for an ‘extended period’ with the Gunners searching for midfield cover.
The Egyptian underwent surgery on a ‘significant’ knee injury picked up in training, and hasn’t played since a 3-0 win over Oxford United on January 9.
The Press Association claim Elneny is in a ‘race against time’ to feature again this season and with his Arsenal contract expiring in the summer, he may have made his last appearance for the club.
A statement from Arsenal read: “Following an injury sustained in a recent training session, subsequent assessments have confirmed that Mohamed Elneny has a significant injury to his right knee.
“Mo has had successful surgery in London and will be ruled out for an extended period of time. A more detailed timescale will be established once the early stages of rehabilitation have been completed.
“Everyone at the club will be offering Mo all the support he needs and working hard with him so he can return to action as soon as possible.”
The loss of Elneny sees Arsenal with Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard and Fabio Vieira as natural central midfield options in Mikel Arteta’s 4-3-3 formation. Left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko can also play in the position.
That leaves the Premier League leaders looking short in the middle of the park, with their Europa League campaign set to resume and test their squad depth.
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The Gunners have already made three bids for Brighton’s Moises Caicedo, with the latest offer equating to a club-record £75million, but it was still turned down.
And with the Ecuadorian seemingly unavailable this month, it appears that their attention has turned to Chelsea’s Jorginho.
talkSPORT understands that a £12m deal is done, as the Italian midfielder leaves Stamford Bridge six months before his contract runs out.
The Gunners have also been heavily linked with West Ham captain and England star Declan Rice, although it appears that deal won’t be worked on until the summer.