Theo Walcott is set to sign a new deal after Arsenal indicated they are ready to up their offer to him.

The 23-year-old’s contract runs out at the end of the season and he had rejected the club’s proposal of a new deal worth £75,000 a week.

Walcott wants £90,000 a week and his representatives were holding a new round of talks with Arsenal today with the club prepared to come closer to his demands.

This is the second concession Walcott has won as he has started to play up front on a more regular basis rather than out wide.

The U-turn by the Gunners is their attempt to stop the England international joining one of their rivals on a free transfer in the summer with ­Chelsea among the clubs watching the situation.

The departure of Walcott would further anger fans who have been incensed by the loss of stars such as Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas in recent seasons.

Walcott is the club’s top scorer this season with 14 goals and earlier this week he intimated he is set to agree terms to stay in north London.

He said: “I’m sure that something will be sorted very soon. I’ve always said I wanted to stay and I enjoy playing for this team. Now we will just see what happens. I will continue to play my football and let the people who look after me and the club talk to each other and go from there.”

Although Chelsea are set to miss out on Walcott, they are still due a busy month in the transfer market and are stepping up their efforts to sign Metalist Kharkiv star ­Taison and Newcastle striker Demba Ba.

Taison claims he has already held talks with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and the Blues are continuing to pursue Ba as Paris St-Germain weigh up a late move for the Senegal international.

Chelsea want to sign at least two players as they look to boost their chances of winning silverware this term, including the Premier League, where they sit 14 points behind leaders Manchester United with two games in hand.

Taison was a guest at Chelsea’s draw against Fulham in late November, when the Brazilian met Abramovich with a view to moving to west London this month.

Chelsea want to buy the 24-year-old for £10million and if the deal goes through then Taison will be reunited with compatriot Oscar, the two having formed a close bond while they were at Brazilian side Internacional.

“I went to England [some weeks ago] just to take a look,” said Taison, who can play as a striker and as a wide player. “I talked to the president. I saw Oscar and I want to play with him again.”

Although Ukrainian side Metalist are keen to keep Taison his agent Diego Dornelles said: “The club want him to stay but there are many things coming.”

On top of Oscar, Chelsea already boast a strong Brazilian contingent with David Luiz, Ramires and Lucas Piazon, while they have also agreed a deal for Fluminense right‑back Wallace.

Chelsea’s still hope to sign Ba, who has a £7.5m release clause, despite talks with his representatives breaking down on Sunday over salary demands and agent fees.

The 27-year-old revealed last week PSG would be his first choice were he to leave Newcastle and the French club are thinking about improving their attacking options.

Chelsea have not given up and expect more talks to take place as they try to replace Daniel Sturridge, who is set to complete a switch to Liverpool worth in excess of £15m.

Chelsea have also moved for Ba after conceding their first-choice target to play up front, Colombia international Falcao, wants to stay at Atletico Madrid until the end of the season. They will make another move for him in the summer but will face stiff competition from Real Madrid and Manchester City.

A move for midfielder Marouane Fellaini may also have to be postponed for now because Everton are determined to keep him as they chase a top-four finish.

OTHER ARSENAL STORIES

Arsenal need striker with Theo Walcott's speed and Giroud's strength

No Thierry Henry but Arsene Wenger promises new Arsenal signings