Arsenal Enter Race For £25m Spanish Striker

With the January transfer window in full flow clubs are 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 another striker.

Arsenal have entered the race to sign Benfica striker Rodrigo and will now battle it out with Zenit St Petersburg for the £25m-rated Spanish attacker, according to the Metro.

The Gunners have been linked with a number of strikers this month with boss Arsene Wenger believed to be keen on adding to his strike-force to help ease the burden on Olivier Giroud during the second half of the season.

The latest name to be thrown into the ring is Benfica’s Rodrigo with the Metro citing reports coming out of Portugal that claim Arsenal are keen on taking the 22-year-old on loan for the rest of the season with a view to making the deal permanent in the summer.

The newspaper suggests that Benfica would prefer a simple sale this month as they are in desperate need for funds after their early exit from the Champions League, and the Portuguese giants had agreed a £25m deal with Zenit St Petersburg before Rodrigo stalled on the switch as he was reluctant to move to Russia.

Rodrigo is perhaps not a name many of you will know too well but Bolton Wanderers fans should remember him as he spent time on loan at the Reebok in 2010. His stint at the club wasn’t a successful one though, as he only found the net once in 17 appearances before heading back to Benfica.

The striker has represented Spain at U-21 and U23 youth level but is yet to earn a cap for the senior side, but he might not be too far away if he continues his recent form that’s seen him score 7 goals in 14 games this season.

While Arsenal certainly need to add another striker to their ranks this month, I don’t envisage Wenger agreeing to pay anywhere near £25m for Rodrigo. He’s  largely unproven and has only really found any sort of goal-scoring form over the past three months and it would be a huge risk to pay such a fee for a player not tested outside of Portugal.

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I have a feeling this rumour is going to quickly disappear and nothing more will come of it, and Arsene Wenger’s search for a new front-man will continue.

Would Arsenal fans like to see Rodrigo sign? Who do you want Wenger to bring in? Share your views below.