Italian Striker To Make £25m January Switch?

Although the summer transfer window is officially closed that doesn’t stop clubs working hard behind the scenes to prepare for future signings, so we’ll keep you up-to-date with all the latest gossip. Today, could AC Milan striker Stephan El Shaarawy be heading to the Premier League?

The race for Stephan El Shaarawy is hotting up with Arsenal joining rivals Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham in tracking the AC Milan striker ahead of a possible January move, according to the Express.

The Italian starlet became one of the most sought-after youngsters in Europe last season after an excellent break-through campaign that saw him score 19 goals in 46 appearances at the San Siro.

However, the 21-year-old has endured a difficult start to the new season, making just 2 league appearances so far, with manager Massimiliano Allegri preferring to go with Mario Balotelli, Robinho or Alessandro Matri up front.

His lack of playing time has seen El Shaarawy linked with a move away this winter and the Express claim a whole host of English clubs are monitoring his situation with Arsenal joining Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham in declaring their interest ahead of potential January moves.

Arsene Wenger is currently short of options up front with the out-of-favour Nicklas Bendtner the only viable alternative to Olivier Giroud, and El Shaarawy would certainly offer the Gunners something different in attack as they look to maintain their title push during the second half of the season.

The newspaper suggests that the north Londoners made initial enquiries over the Italian international’s availability at the end of October and were told it would take a bid of £25m to persuade Milan to cash in.

The report states that the player is not agitating for a move as he’s confident he’ll be given a chance in the first team eventually by Allegri due to the poor form of the team – who currently sit 10th in the Serie A table.

However, the striker may be forced to reconsider if things haven’t changed by the New Year as he has his place in the Italian national team to worry about ahead of the 2014 World Cup, and it appears he’ll have plenty of options if he fancies trying his luck in the Premier League.

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