According to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb, Arsenal could go head-to-head with Napoli to sign Monza striker Gustavo Varela next year.
The Gunners were linked with several marquee forwards during last summer’s transfer window, but they signed just one winger in Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge.
The Premier League holders are bound to pursue more attacking signings in the future and Tuttomercatoweb cite that the Gunners are in the race to land Monza’s Varela.
Napoli are the main contenders from Serie A for the 21-year-old striker, but it is mentioned that Premier League clubs have started making moves for the Portuguese ace.
Furthermore, Tuttomercatoweb cite that ‘Arsenal above all’ are keen on recruiting Varela, who only arrived at Monza from Benfica at the beginning of the campaign.
Unlikely
The Gunners currently have Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres as their specialist senior strikers. The former has been the Premier League regular and has already netted 3 goals across all competitions.
Gyokeres, on the other hand, has yet to find the back of the net, but he continues to remain highly valued. The Swede is not contemplating his future, but he could make way if another marquee striker arrives.
Varela has been linked with Arsenal after a brilliant start at Monza. He has netted 9 goals and provided an assist in just 8 appearances and has matched the goal contributions he made for Gil Vicente on loan last term.
Despite his bright start, the Portuguese has plenty of weakness outside his goalscoring. He is not the best in winning duels and has a success rate of just over 30% during the early part of the Serie A campaign.
While Varela has impressed with his mobility, he is not the best when it comes to linking up or holding up play either.
With Arsenal competing for regular silverware under manager Mikel Arteta, they are expected to sign a marquee striker over a youngster yet to prove himself consistently at the highest level in Europe’s top-five leagues.
Hence, it seems unlikely that Arsenal will make an offer for Varela in January or next summer. The speculation could be agent-driven in order to trigger more attention from other top European clubs.
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