Arsenal transfer news: Toni Fruk truth revealed after London agent meeting and 'wild speculation'

The truth behind Arsenal's pursuit of a 24-year-old Croatian playmaker has supposedly been revealed following reports from his homeland.

Mikel Arteta's squad depth came to the fore and then some on Wednesday evening, when the Gunners remained perfect in the Champions League by taking down Club Brugge 3-0 in Belgium.

New signings Noni Madueke and Martin Zubimendi combined for the game's first two goals, before Gabriel Martinelli curled home a wonderful third at the Jan Breydel Stadium.

The likes of Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze are now expected to come back into the first XI for Saturday's Premier League visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers, as Arsenal aim to maintain or increase their two-point lead at the summit.

A £250m summer spending spree has proven critical to Arsenal's bright start to the season, both in terms of enhancing the quality of the squad and allowing Arteta and co to comfortably deal with any injury setbacks.

Arsenal's Toni Fruk transfer 'truth' revealed

The Premier League leaders are therefore expected to have a quiet January transfer window, due to both Arteta's strength in depth and their need to comply with financial fair play regulations.

The Gunners may still be alert to cut-price opportunities - especially if some players leave - and according to Football.London, there was recently 'wild speculation' over a possible move for HNK Rijeka's 24-year-old playmaker Toni Fruk.

Fruk - a Fiorentina youth graduate - has excelled on the attacking front this season with 11 goals from 27 games, boasting a total of 30 strikes and 31 assists in 115 matches for his current club.

Reports in Croatia allegedly claimed that Arsenal were advancing in talks to sign the midfielder, but there is said to be 'no substance' to the claims, which emerged from Fruk's agent holding talks with other interested clubs in London.

Brighton & Hove Albion and Everton are understood to have made initial checks on Fruk, but their interest is at a very early stage, and it is not known whether either side intend to launch a move.

Nevertheless, Arsenal are currently not considered to be serious contenders for the 24-year-old, due to the presence of Eze and Martin Odegaard and their 'huge faith' in Ethan Nwaneri.

Could Arsenal make any signings in January?

With a contract at Rijeka until 2027 and still a relatively unknown quantity, Fruk would not be a bank-breaking signing for Arsenal, but Arteta has no need to add another number 10 to his ranks.

However, the Spaniard could target youthful number sixes or number eights next month, as Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Mikel Merino and Christian Norgaard are all 26 or older.

Elches's Rodrigo Mendoza - who has a £17.5m release clause - is understood to be on Arsenal's radar, as is Lille's 18-year-old sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi.

The Gunners may have to fork out over £40m to sign the latter, though, as well as fend off interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Manchester United.