Mikel Arteta responds to question on shock move for out of contract ex-Arsenal teammate

Mikel Arteta has remained coy on whether Arsenal could bring Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back to the club on a short-term deal.

The Gunners are open to bringing in a new midfielder following Mikel Merino’s potential season-ending injury.

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Merino, who has chipped in with six goals and three assists in 33 games this term, suffered a broken foot during the club’s 3-2 defeat to Manchester United.

It has led to Arsenal chiefs to weigh up a move late in the winter window, which slams shut on Monday night at 7pm.

But with options limited, the north London giants could turn to the free agent market, where players can be brought in outside the window.

This has led to speculation that Oxlade-Chamberlain could be an option, with the 32-year-old out of contract following his Besikas exit in August.

Oxlade-Chamberlain played alongside Arteta at the Emirates Stadium for five years, with both players joining the club in 2011.

The versatile central midfielder has been training at Arsenal’s Sobha Realty Training Centre since November.

He even turned out for the Under-21s in a behind closed doors friendly against the Red Devils in December.

Al be back?

And Arteta refused to rule out a return for the player when the question was put to him in his pre-match press conference on Monday.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg clash against Chelsea, the Spaniard simply stated: “We explore every option.”

Arteta also confirmed the club are scrambling to find a replacement for Merino, as he said: “We are on it.

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“And it’s our responsibility, when we are playing for what we are playing, to give ourselves the best opportunity and chance to look at the market, every option, evaluate them, and then make a decision whether we do something, if it’s possible.

“When you lose a big player like this in the squad with four months to go and all the competitions to play for, you need to look.

“And we need to do everything that we possibly can do to see if we have a player that is available, and if we don’t, we keep what we have.

“At this level, especially for four months, you have to bring a player that has the capacity to adapt immediately and impact the team.

“That is not easy, but if it was easy we would not be here. So we need to find solutions and try. We need players because we play every two, three days.”

While it remains to be seen whether Arsenal will turn to Oxlade-Chamberlain, talkSPORT understands that the club have made an enquiry over the availability of Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka.

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The 30-year-old is in the final six months of his contract at the Allianz Arena, with the German giants already announcing he will not be penning a new deal.

Goretzka has featured in 28 matches in all competitions this season, scoring once.

talkSPORT also understands that Sandro Tonali’s agent offered the player to Arsenal. However, there has been no dialogue between the Gunners and Newcastle.