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Arsenal closing in on £15m Paulista deal, says Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed that talks on a £15 million deal for Villarreal's Gabriel Paulista are "progressing well" and hinted the Brazilian may not be his only January signing.

But uncertainty still hangs over the move because it remains unclear whether the defender will be granted a work permit to play in England.

"Talks are progressing quite well," Wenger said after the Spanish club admitted they were open to a sale. "Can we find an agreement? I don't know. We are slowly progressing and there is a chance.

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"It is €20m, which is £15m. We are ready to pay the price we think right for a good player. If we think it is the right price, we will pay."

When asked if Paulista would be Arsenal's only signing in the transfer window if the deal was completed, Wenger replied: "Not necessarily."

Paulista does not qualify automatically for a work permit as he does not have a European passport and he has not played enough games for Brazil, leading Wenger to rate Arsenal's chances of signing him at "50-50".

The club would need to convince a tribunal that he qualifies for a permit in the 'exceptional talent' category and may find the deal much simpler next summer when a proposed new rule in the Premier League is set to be introduced, granting work permits for signings costing more than £10m

"I don't understand the logic of this [work permit] rule," Wenger said. "If the player we want needs a work permit, we will defend [try and get] it now. We don't want to do it in the summer. We are short now.

"We go in front of a commission and they tell us, ok, yes or no. We accept and respect that. Are the rules right or not? That can be discussed.

"The logic that the availability of the work permit is the amount of money you spend, that is not how it should be. It should be linked to the quality of the player.

Gabriel Paulista would require a work permit © Getty Images

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"The 75 percent [of international games] rule can also be questioned. It is much more difficult to make 75 percent of games for Brazil than it is Luxembourg. It is difficult to make a rule to satisfy everybody."

While much of the discussion surround the possible imminent arrival of Paulista, Wenger also confirmed that Arsenal have offered a fresh contract to midfielder Francis Conquelin, who impressed in a holding midfield role in the Gunners 2-0 win against Manchester City last weekend.

Coquelin is out of contract at the end of this season, but Wenger is convinced he can play a big role in the club's future.

"We offered him a new deal. I'm are confident that it will be done," the manager said. "I can see that he has made huge improvements in training. For him to have a potential chance, he needs match practice and he went somewhere else [on loan].

"He took that challenge on loan and came back and now he is doing well. Of course he is a young player and if you look just at what's happening on the pitch, he wins the ball and makes a good pass. In his position, that is the most important."

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