Arsenal have received an update in their pursuit of PSG's Desire Doue

Arsenal are still reeling from the midweek blow inflicted on them by a shock Carabao Cup exit at Fleetwood Town. The Gunners were poor against struggling League Two opposition on Tuesday night, resulting in them going behind, needing an equaliser courtesy of Viktor Gyokeres, and eventually losing out on penalties.

Teenage sensation Max Dowman’s red card late in that game has also dominated much of the conversation surrounding the Gunners since, with Arsenal appealing the decision after Mikel Arteta appeared to be furious with the 16-year-old as he made his way to the dressing room.

However, the Premier League champions will need to put it all behind them and focus on the next challenge - a difficult away trip to Anfield in the league on Sunday - having gone level on points with league leaders Manchester City last weekend.

Now, Mirror Football takes a look at some of the transfer gossip involving the north Londoners in recent days.

Make sure you don't miss the best Arsenal coverage by making the Daily Mirror one of your Google preferred sources.

Desire Doue’s future

Paris Saint-Germain have decided to secure Desire Doue’s future at the club and are reportedly nearing a new deal for the Frenchman. Arsenal, along with rivals Chelsea and City, reportedly all retained slim hopes of signing Doue, which have all but ended as the player and PSG are in advanced discussions over his contract extension.

According to TEAMtalk, the Gunners have been monitoring the 21-year-old as they assess potential attacking reinforcements for the coming transfer windows. With his current deal set to expire in 2029, they reportedly made checks to better understand his situation earlier this year, only to be told that Doue was not looking to leave PSG and was ready to commit his future to the club.

Doue has flourished under Luis Enrique since being signed from Rennes in 2024. He has played a key role as part of PSG’s fearsome group of attackers, which have won the Champions League twice in a row.

FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news and more on our dedicated Facebook page

Viktor Gyokeres transfer verdict

Premier League icon Emile Heskey has offered a brutal verdict on Gyokeres’ time at Arsenal, saying things haven’t worked out for the Swede. The striker was signed in the summer of 2025 for a fee of £64m in the hope that he would become the clinical No.9 the Gunners had long required.

Despite finishing as their top goal-scorer in the title-winning campaign last season, Gyokeres has largely failed to impose himself in games and has become second choice to Kai Havertz this term. The 28-year-old has scored just one goal in 11 games this season, many of which have come mainly off the bench. But Heskey believes Arteta should not sell him just yet, claiming Gyokeres is still an important squad player.

Speaking about Arteta’s options up top, the 48-year-old said: "I like Havertz's movement and what he brings to this Arsenal team. I watched him when he was at Chelsea, and I liked his movement, his link-up play and everything about his game.

"Gyokeres is a little bit different to the way that Arsenal want to play; he’s not that brilliant at holding the ball up and bringing in others; he prefers to play on the shoulder and run into space, but that space comes at a premium in the Premier League.

"I was hoping it would work out for him, but you can see why it hasn’t. He's more of an old-school type of centre-forward. I wouldn't tell Arsenal to cut their losses, because you’re always going to need a backup with the number of games they will play, and you always need a player that gives you that versatility to play against a different sort of style."

Heskey added: "I definitely wouldn't say cut your losses, but I can't see him being a regular, if I'm honest."