Arsenal Linked With Bayern Munich Hitman

With the January transfer window now open for business clubs will be working hard to try and strengthen their squad for the second half of the season, so we’ll keep you up-to-date with all the latest news, gossip and rumours. Today, Arsenal are linked with Mario Mandzukic.

Arsenal scouts are keeping a close eye on Mario Mandzukic with the club fearing Nicklas Bendtner could be ruled out for two months with an ankle injury, according to the Daily Mail.

Bendtner twisted his ankle after scoring the opening goal against Cardiff City on Wednesday and underwent a scan on Friday to determine the extent of the damage.

Arsene Wenger had initially hoped the Dane would be back in three weeks but club medics are fearful the player has torn his ligaments which would rule him out for two months.

Wenger confirmed at his press conference on Friday that he would be forced into the transfer market to buy another striker if Bendtner was sidelined for any length of time:

‘My transfer plans depend on how long Bendtner will be out for,’

‘At the moment we are just considering our options. I must confess they are quite restricted.

‘If it’s months rather than three weeks, then we would have to think about buying.’ Wenger is quoted as saying by the Mail

With the club nervously awaiting the results of the scans, the Mail claim Wenger has already started to think about what strikers he will go for if he’s forced into the market this month.

The newspaper suggests that we have serious interest in Atletico Madrid hitman Diego Costa but the boss fears he will be priced out of any potential deal – joking the Brazilian-born striker would cost £145m – while there is also interest in taking Real Madrid youngster Alvaro Morata on loan.

However, the Mail has now thrown a new name into the ring by stating that Arsenal scouts are keeping a close eye on the future of Bayern Munich’s Mario Mandzukic with the Croatian international tipped to leave the Allianz Arena with Robert Lewandowski set to arrive on a free transfer from Borussia Dortmund next summer.

Mandzukic has been in and out the team under Pep Guardiola this season and if, as expected, Lewandowski’s transfer is announced in the coming days then he may have to give serious consideration to his long-term future.

However, while the 27-year-old would be an excellent addition, I feel a move this month could be difficult to pull off as Lewandowski won’t join Bayern until June and Guardiola is unlikely to want to lose one of his strikers for the second half of the season.

For this reason, I personally think our most realistic option is to bring Morata in on a six-month loan deal then go for the likes of Costa and Mandzukic in the summer.

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