Arsenal will try to lure Barcelona striker Ferran Torres to the Emirates in the January transfer window as Mikel Arteta targets the replacement of striker Gabriel Jesus
The winter transfer market could be a lucky second time for Arteta after the Arsenal boss originally tried to bring the former Manchester City forward to the club before Torres sealed his then dream move to Barcelona
However, that dream appears to have turned into a nightmare as the 22-year-old prepares to return to England just twelve months after landing the Catalans, fichajes.net first reported
Arteta is targeting a substitute for the injured Gabriel Jesus
Many European teams are watching the situation, with Serie A champions AC Milan and Arsenal’s London rivals Tottenham also keen to get Torres’ signature
Torres is currently enjoying a period of rest after Spain’s exit from the World Cup against Morocco, who reached the semi-finals of the tournament after playing four matches and scoring two goals for the national team
The promising talent will be a major coup for Premier League leaders Arsenal after star striker Jesus underwent surgery after injuring his knee while playing for Brazil at the World Cup
Arteta previously worked alongside Torres during his stint as assistant coach under Pep Guardiola at City, and he hopes his close ties to fellow countryman Arsenal will help their chase
The Arsenal manager recently hinted that the club would see what it could do to be “stronger” as it bids to win the Premier League title
“I feel my team is really good, and unfortunately we had injuries, but we will see what we can do to be stronger,” Arteta said
“We have a lot of players and we have a lot of academy players. We have the players who can give us the performance and consistency to maintain or improve where we are
