Joel Campbell is reportedly set to the spend the rest of the season on loan at Villarreal as the Spanish side are set to announce the departure of Gabriel to Arsenal.

Although the La Liga outfit held firm to the €20m release clause in the Brazilian’s contract, it’s believed that part of that sum will be made up by the loan of the Costa Rican striker until the end of this campaign.

There is no clause which allows them to buy at the end of the loan period, however, and it seems likely that Arsenal will look for a permanent suitor in the summer.

Local press report that former Villarreal player, Santi Cazorla, convinced Campbell of the quality of his old club to fend of advances by David Moyes’ Real Sociedad.

Campbell has made just 3 starts for the Gunners this season with 7 further appearances as a substitute, and failed to find the net in any of those games.

Should he depart he’ll be the third forward to leave the club this January after Lukas Podolski and Yaya Sanogo secured loan moves to Inter Milan and Crystal Palace respectively.

The arrival of Gabriel would go some way to balance a squad which was particularly top heavy, but with Danny Welbeck set to miss two more weeks with his thigh injury, the depth in the forward positions isn’t quite what it was.