Arsenal have set their sights on striker Luis Muriel and could make an offer for the Udinese superstar in January, as Arsene Wenger looks to add fire-power to his attacking line-up, according to Italian media outlet Calciomercato.
The 22-year-old was linked with a move to some of top European clubs including Liverpool and Manchester United in the summer but he chose to stay in Italy and further his career for the time being.
The Colombian international made his debut in 2010 for Udinese and impressed everyone last season with his skills, maturity and goals. He has signed a contract extension with the Serie A giants that would keep him at the club till 2018.
However, we all know these contract issues hardly has very little significance, ask Gareth Bale for that matter. Rather, clubs can demand more transfer fees using contract clauses as reference.
The Gunners badly need a striker in January. This summer they were linked with two world class strikers – Gonzalo Higuain and Luis Suarez, but the deal didn’t materialize for either of them. The Argentine striker left Real Madrid and chose to ply trade in Italy with Napoli while Suarez remained with Liverpool.
Thus Arsenal couldn’t add any big name striker to their squad this summer and Wenger will have to rely on the existing bunch he possesses. Olivier Giroud has started the season brilliantly scoring in all the league matches so far, but with Lukas Podolski injured and youngster Yaya Sanogo not yet ready to take the first team, Wenger is heavily reliant on the French striker to deliver.
Therefore, the Gunners need a striker in January and Muriel could be a very good option. He would be available within €15-18 million and keeping his age and talent into consideration, investment on him won’t be a bad option for the Gunners.
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