Arsenal scouts watch £50m Batrakov as six-goal Varela emerges as January targets

Arsenal are monitoring two emerging forwards ahead of the January transfer window, with scouts dispatched to watch Galatasaray’s Aleksey Batrakov and Serie A striker Gustavo Varela attracting attention from the Emirates.

Batrakov, a 21-year-old Russian international attacking midfielder, was watched by Arsenal scouts in France as Galatasaray came from behind to beat Lille 4-2 — their first away win in European competition in over 11 months. The Russia international scored Galatasaray’s second goal on the night and has now netted twice in the current campaign, having also found the net against Barcelona. He joined the Turkish side for just over £20m after scoring double figures in each of his last two seasons with Lokomotiv Moscow in the Russian Premier League. Batrakov is reported to carry a £50m release clause, and Liverpool are among the other clubs said to be tracking him. Across 15 senior international appearances for Russia, he has registered four goals and four assists, including a role in a 2-0 win over Iran during the most recent international break.

The second name on Arsenal’s radar is Gustavo Varela, a 21-year-old Portuguese forward currently impressing at Monza in Serie A. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Arsenal are among several leading European clubs monitoring the youngster, who has scored six goals in his first six Serie A appearances and added a brace on his Coppa Italia debut. At international level, Varela has been touted as a long-term successor to Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal, having scored four goals in seven appearances for the Under-21 side and contributed to Portugal’s qualification for next summer’s European Under-21 Championship finals in Albania and Serbia. Arsenal are unlikely to have a clear run at Varela, however, with Napoli and his former club Benfica both closely monitoring his progress.

The transfer activity comes against a backdrop of injury concern at Arsenal. Bukayo Saka was forced off early in the Champions League draw with Bayern Munich with a quad problem and is expected to miss a significant period, adding further urgency to Mikel Arteta’s recruitment plans.

Arsenal have already secured several young signings for the coming months. Victor Ozhianvuna will arrive from Shamrock Rovers in January, the Quintero twins are set to join over the summer, and a deal has been agreed for Georgian talent Andria Bartishvili.