ARSENAL are sizing up a January swoop for Dominik Szoboszlai as they look for a cheaper alternative to Lyon ace Houssem Aouar, reports say.
The Red Bull Salzburg midfielder has caught the eye over the previous year and Mikel Arteta is believed to be interested.
ARSENAL NEWS LIVE: Click here for the latest Gunners news
The Gunners interest comes following their failed pursuit of Aouar, leaving the squad with a lack of creativity in the centre of the park.
Szoboszlai, 20, is seen as a potential solution and can boast 22 goals and 31 assists in 71 appearances for Austrian champions Salzburg.
And according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are ‘following’ his progress.
He said on his Here We Go podcast: “The situation is that Arsenal [have been] following Szoboszlai [for] years. So, what we [can] say is that Arsenal’s scouting [department] are looking at the player. At the moment, there are no negotiations.
“There are many clubs interested – he was one step away from joining AC Milan last summer. We will see [in] January, we will see next summer, what [Salzburg] will decide to do – because Szoboszlai wants to play in a top league.
“He’s in love with the Premier League, so let’s see what Arsenal will decide. What I’m told is that Arsenal are looking to sign this kind of player.
“They were looking [at Houssem] Aouar, they are now considering the situation of Szoboszlai. So, let’s see what will happen next summer or [in] January, but Arsenal are following the player.”
Emirates chiefs were in for Szoboszlai during the summer but any negotiations appeared to fizzle out.
The North London club are reportedly still keen on Aouar after chasing him for much of the last window.
But financial differences hampered their long-running pursuit.
The club’s efforts then blew up just before deadline day as Lyon pulled the plug on negotiations.
Mikel Arteta does have one creative player available to him in Mesut Ozil but he was left out of the Premier League squad as the midfielder’s war with the club escalated.
Ozil then hit back and blasted the club for a lack of ‘loyalty’.
