The Arsenal Gunners are currently standing 12 points behind Manchester City in the standings, and they will need to make some serious moves in the transfer window to get closer to the top.

One player that has been linked to the Gunners is Barcelona defender Eric Abidal.

According to the Daily Mail's Sportsmail Reporter:

Arsene Wenger is ready to make his move for Barcelona star Eric Abidal in this month's transfer window.

Sportsmail reported earlier this week that the Gunners were considering their options, and it is now reported that Wenger is prepared to pay £4.1million for the 32-year-old defender.

While his age will certainly be a concern for fans as this transfer rumor continues to grow, there is no doubt the team is in need of back-line depth and would greatly benefit by bringing in a proven veteran like Abidal.

Adding someone with so much experience would allow the team extreme flexibility. If either Bacary Sagna, Carl Jenkinson, Kieran Gibbs or Andre Santos were able to make a return any time soon, the team would have a player who likely wouldn't mind taking a backseat to the team's current set of stars.

They may not get what they expect of Abidal, but it would be a relatively inexpensive move and, for the time being, a move they must make to remain competitive EPL contenders.

It will remain to be seen where and who Arsenal will continue to target for possible transfers at defender. For now though, Abidal may just be their best option.