Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu have been provided with the biggest hint yet that one of their transfer targets will be available in the summer.
That's because Portuguese newspaper Record is reporting that Benfica are closing in on the signing of Croatian striker Petar Musa - on loan at Boavista from Slavia Prague - which will then allow the sale of Darwin Nunez. football.london understands Nunez, who has scored an impressive 28 times this season, is being tracked by the Gunners as Arteta looks to bolster his frontline over the coming months.
A previous story from the aforementioned paper has also stated that Arsenal are pushing a ‘charm offensive’ to convince Nunez about joining the club, adding they are ‘a few steps above’ other interested parties and could ‘seduce’ the player.
READ MORE: Darwin Nunez shows Mikel Arteta the one area he must improve at Arsenal if Edu seals £67m deal
Several European clubs are said to be following the Uruguayan's progress, including fellow Premier League side West Ham, who reportedly saw a £40m bid rejected for him in January. New reports suggest Benfica are looking for a fee in the region of £67m to part ways with their star man.
Arsenal already find themselves in desperate need of added firepower but that need is set to grow even more come the summer. Following Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's switch to Barcelona at the start of the year, Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah look set to follow their former teammate out the exit door when their contracts expire in June.
It means that Folarin Balogun, who is currently on loan at Championship side Middlesbrough, could find himself as the only first-team striker and it's a scenario Arteta desperately wants to avoid.
As well as Nunez, Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin was also believed to be on the club's shortlist, but a move for the Englishman appears to be off the cards for now.
Nonetheless, Benfica's imminent transfer of Musa can be viewed as an encouraging sign by Arsenal, who will want to wrap up deals as quickly as possible considering the depth concerns in attack. All indications point towards Nunez being there for the taking, now it's up to Edu to find an agreement before someone else swoops in.
