Arsenal are looking to make a move for Manchester City’s striker Edin Dzeko in the January transfer window as per reports from The Mirror, but could face a tough competition from European heavyweights like Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan.
The Gunners are bit thin on the strike department, with Olivier Giroud remains the lone striker for the London club. Arsene Wenger does not see Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott (both injured though at the moment) as an out-an-out striker while the gaffer certainly cannot rely on youngster Yaya Sanogo or Nicklas Bendtner to deliver for him.
Buying a striker was one of their top priorities in the summer and they were heavily linked with a move for Gonzalo Higuain and Luis Suarez, but none of the deal materialized in the end. Wenger is desperate to land a striker in January, to ease off the burden from the shoulders of Giroud and could make a move for Dzeko, who has dropped down the pecking orders at the club, following the arrivals of Alvaro Negredo in the summer.
Dzeko has only made 4 starts in the Premier League and has scored three goals thus far. The 27-year-old has recently voiced his frustration over a lack of first team football, and admitted he is unsure of his future at City.
“I need to play more than I am. I’ve only started four games in the Premier League. But if you put me in there for 90 minutes, everything is possible,” he told the Daily Mirror.
“For three games in the Premier League I didn’t play at all. That never happened last season. I didn’t go three games without any minutes.
“There’s Champions League and Capital One Cup also, but that’s not enough for me.
“For every striker it’s important to play 90 minutes, not 45, then 50, then maybe 15, you know But I’m still here and I still have 18 months left on my contract. But you never know what can happen in the future.”
The situation of Dzeko has alerted other top European clubs as well. German giants Borussia Dortmund are reportedly interested in him to replace Robert Lewandowski, who is certain to leave the club next summer. The Bosnian is valued at around €27m, but Dortmund are not willing to pay more than £15m, which is well below City’s valuation. Likewise, Italian giants Inter Milan have also registered an interest in the striker.