Arsenal make January transfer decision over midfielder lined up for Bosman deal

Arsenal will resist January offers for Jorginho and intend to keep him at the club until at least the end of the season.

The Italian international midfielder is currently expected to depart the Emirates Stadium on a free transfer next summer when his contract is due to expire but until then, he will remain an important part of Mikel Arteta's dressing room.

Turkish giants Besiktas have long held interest in the 32-year-old after first initiating contact with his representatives back in January, one year after Jorginho completed his £12million switch across London from Chelsea.

But the former Napoli maestro had no intention of leaving the Gunners and four months later, signed a one-year contract extension.

However, he has started just three times in the Premier League so far this season including Saturday's 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest and while he accepted that opportunities would not be as frequent this season, he still looks poised to see out the campaign with Arsenal before assessing his options.

Besiktas would be interested in signing the Italian on a Bosman and can formally open dialogue with the Euro 2020 winner in 2025 as he will have entered the final six months of his current deal.

But even if the Turkish giants or other suitors lodged a bid this winter, Arsenal have little interest in a mid-season sale.

Arteta has already been forced to navigate a series of injury struggles this season and the Spaniard wants to strengthen, not weaken, his squad this winter.

The chances of Jorginho being handed another new deal in north London currently look slim, though his experience and character still remain of clear value and importance.

Speaking earlier this month, Arteta indicated he would like to keep Thomas Partey - also out of contract next June - following his drastic upturn in form.

The Arsenal boss said: "He's only 31 and he's in a really good place... we will have talks. The one thing that we needed was Thomas to be at the level we wanted certainly. He's working so hard to do what he's doing at the moment."

Midfield is an area that is expected to be addressed in upcoming transfer windows and the Gunners are also poised to strengthen in attack where a new marquee No.9 has long been desired.