Both Paris Saint-Germain's Edinson Cavani and Real Madrid's Karim Benzema continue to be linked with summer switches to Arsenal as the Gunners look to add to their front line.
Olivier Giroud is currently the only out-and-out central striker Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger can call upon, and both his consistency and fitness are questionable.
If, as many expect, Arsenal are to compete for the Premier League title this season, they need to add another reliable goalscorer to their squad as they have often struggled with depth up front, per Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe:
Cavani has long been linked with a switch to the Emirates and Arsenal are now ready to make their move for the 28-year-old Uruguayan, per Fichajes.net (h/t Metro).
The report stated that PSG are prepared to listen to offers as Cavani's relationship with manager Laurent Blanc is at "a real low."
Furthermore, PSG's recent signing of Angel Di Maria from Manchester United may well have pushed Cavani further down the pecking order at the Parc des Princes, where he has often had to play in the shadow of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Cavani would not come cheap, as PSG shelled out £55 million to bring him in from Napoli on a five-year contract in 2013.
But he may be a more realistic purchase for Arsenal than Benzema, while he could flourish under Wenger and provide the clinical finishing touch that Giroud often lacks.
The Benzema deal looks dead in the water—as it has for some time—with the Gunners reportedly not prepared to meet Real's asking price for the Frenchman, per John Cross in the Mirror.
Dan Gibbs in the Express reported that Los Blancos are demanding £35 million for the 27-year-old, which is not an unreasonable figure for such a key player.
Realistically, the La Liga giants will not let Benzema go unless a club comes in with a mammoth offer—his goalscoring prowess and creativity make him a very valuable player per WhoScored.com:
While Wenger should arguably stump up the cash to bring Benzema in as he could prove the difference in any pursuit of the title, it seems that Arsenal are not prepared to shell out the cash, and Cavani may be the back-up option.
Another Arsenal target who has perhaps been priced out of the market is Schalke winger Julian Draxler. Previously thought to be on the Gunners' radar, the 21-year-old has also drawn interest from Serie A champions Juventus, per Italian outlet Tuttosport (h/t Metro's Louis Sealey).
However, Schalke's €30 million (£21.2 million) demands are reportedly unacceptable to Juve, whose offer currently stands at €15 million (£10.6 million) plus €9 million (£6.4 million) in add-ons, per GianlucaDiMarzio.com translator David Amoyal.
If Juventus drop their interest in Draxler, Arsenal could potentially swoop in and snap him up.
But with Arsenal seemingly unwilling to spend big in the current transfer window, it would be a surprise if any major additions were made ahead of its closure, even if a new striker looks to be an obvious necessity.
Read more World Football news on BleacherReport.com
Source: Rory Marsden http://ift.tt/1N6y3Q7
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