Arsenal chase striker Loic Remy and Barca youngster

January's transfer window closes at 5pm on Monday, a sobering fact for Premier League managers desperate to dump a defender or search for a striker. Since the window opened on January 1 big-name signings have been as rare as a Liverpool victory, with Sol Campbell's return to Arsenal the biggest talking point in the transfer market.

But the Gunners are struggling to add other names to their squad. After missing out to Manchester United on their bid to land Fulham defender Chris Smalling, Arsenal are hoping to sign Nice and France striker Loic Remy (above).

The Mail reports that the striker, who can also play in midfield, has been scouted out by former Gunner Giles Grimandi, and Arsene Wenger is keen to get the 23-year-old on board.

However, Arsenal's first approach, apparently a bid to get Remy on loan has failed and Nice have slapped a £13m price tag on the player. Arsenal also face competition from Lyon, who Remy used to play for. His old club now want the striker back and are prepared to pay a lot more than the £6.5m the sold him for in 2008.

However, Wenger may have another trick up his sleeve. Spanish newspaper Sport has reported that the Gunners have their sights set on Barcelona's 18-year-old attacking midfielder Gai Assulin.

The Israeli is out of contract at the end of the season at the Camp Nou and can now sign a pre-contract agreement with another club.

Playmaker Assulin does not want to leave Barca, but Arsenal are intent on brining him to London and Barcelona have a history of losing talented youngsters to the Gunners. If Assulin does head for the Emirates he will be following in the footsteps of Fran Merida and Cesc Fabregas.

The chances of Klaas Jan Huntelaar arriving in the Premier League appear to be slim. The Dutch striker is anxious to get the first team chances he is missing out on with AC Milan but the Italian club have told the player he is going nowhere.

Milan vice-president showed little understanding of the football rumour mill when he said. "[Huntelaar] needs to be calm and wait for the chances he gets. Milan will not sell him. I've said it for some time but no one seems to believe me."

One player who is on the move would appear to be Anderson, the Manchester United misfit, who is set to join Lyon on loan and it could involve a swap deal with French international keeper Hugo Lloris, according to the Mail. Alex Ferguson is keen to reinforce his options in goal and earlier in the week was linked with Gianluigi Buffon the Italian keeper.

Anderson has made little impact at Old Trafford since his £18m arrival from Porto in 2007 and it seems his United career is now effectively over.

Of the deals tht have gone through this January none have been more controversial than Harry Redknapp's poaching of Eidur Gudjohnsen.  The Tottenham boss has plucked him from West Ham's grasp and is set to blood the Icelandic striker against Birmingham on Saturday.

The grand larceny has left the Hammers fuming, with new co-owner David Sullivan predicting Spurs will get their come-uppance. "We thought we had a deal and the player [Gudjohnsen] had even had a medical," Sullivan is quoted as saying in the Daily Mirror. "We then heard that Tottenham were trying to speak to the player. I can't say I am happy about it but I believe in karma and what goes around, comes around."

Not that the loss of Gudjohnsen has deterred Sullivan from putting his hand through the transfer window before it snaps shut. According to BBC Scotland, West Ham are poised to make a bid for Celtic's Australian striker Scott McDonald. The Beeb says the Hammers "have had the Parkhead goalscorer watched and an enquiry has been made".

The 26-year-old McDonald has scored 64 goals in 127 appearances for the Bhoys, but has recently fallen out of favour with boss Tony Mowbray. With the World Cup approaching the 15-times capped Aussie would like to secure regular first-team football in the upcoming months. Celtic boss Tony Mowbray is open to offers, though he recently turned down a Wigan approach for McDonald, telling the Lancashire club they needed to raise their bid.

Arsenal's teenage prodigy Jack Wilshere was due to be unveiled as Bolton's latest signing today, according to the reliable Bolton News. The 18-year-old midfielder has been linked in recent weeks to loan deals to Burnley, West Ham and Dutch side FC Twente but Bolton's new boss, Owen Coyle, has sweet-talked Arsene Wenger.

"We are well down the road to bringing him here," Coyle told the paper. "There have been a number of other clubs interested in him, but we are hoping to conclude the deal in the morning [i.e.today]. He is a tremendous talent and I believe he will eventually go on to be a top, top footballer."

Wilshere, the youngest ever outfield player to play for Arsenal, will be with Bolton until the end of the season before returning to the Emirates Stadium to complete his football education.

As reported by The First Post yesterday, Birmingham's offer to buy troubled Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko was rejected by the London club. As a result, Blues boss Alex McLeish had settled for Aruna Dindane, the Ivory Coast forward currently on loan at Portsmouth but contracted to Lens in the French first division. Sky Sports say that Birmingham's "£4million bid" for the 29-year-old Dindane has been accepted by Lens, and the player will soon be arriving at St Andrew's.

Dindane, who has won over 50 caps for the Ivory Coast, spent five years with Belgian outfit Anderlecht and is seen by McLeish "as a useful addition" to a promising Birmingham squad.
 
Finally, the Guardian confirms that Manchester City's rain-hating Robinho is returning to Brazil with "immediate effect" on a six-month deal with his former club Santos. The paper says that Santos will take in charge all Robinho's contract terms.

"Robinho is someone who needs to be playing regularly and we wish him well for the period of his loan," said City boss Roberto Mancini of the 26-year-old who was brought to Eastlands 18 months ago in a record £32.5m deal. ·