Arsenal are set to miss out on Red Bull Salzburg’s Dominik Szoboszlai with sister club RB Leipzig reportedly in the driving seat to sign the attacking midfielder.
Mikel Arteta’s creativity problems have been evident this season with the Gunners scoring just nine goals in their opening eight Premier League games.
The Spanish boss missed out on acquiring Lyon playmaker Houssem Aouar back in the summer, while Szoboszlai is said to have been another target in the last transfer window.
The Hungary international – who has netted twice in the Champions League this season – can operate in an attacking midfield position or on the left wing.
But according to Sport Bild, Leipzig’s move for Szoboszlai is in the advanced stages ahead of the upcoming January window.
The report states the youngster would cost in excess of €20million (£17.9m) plus add-ons.
The German outlet claim that despite Arsenal’s previous interest, Leipzig are leading the race to secure the midfielder’s signature.
The Gunners were thrashed 3-0 by Aston Villa on Sunday as Arteta’s side slipped to their fourth league defeat of the season.
They posed little threat to Villa’s defence and Arsenal legend Ian Wright called for his former side to bring in a creative midfielder to add some cutting edge.
‘Mikel is going to want the players he wants to come in to implement what he wants but at the same time, the effort and output, from a team that was rested, was nowhere near good enough,’ Wright told BBC’s Match of the Day 2.
‘A Villa team that is coming there and you know they’re going to press you, you need to press your game upon them.
‘Yes, there is a lacking of a central midfielder who can create and that’s what he needs.
‘But at the same time, you can’t go into a game with that type of attitude and expect to win it.’
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