Wenger looks to resolve his striking crisis by bringing in talented youngster to the Emirates.

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Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will face a battle with PSV to sign Ivorian striker Lacina Traore.

Heavily linked with a move to the Emirates, it appears that Arsenal now have competition in the race to sign the teenage striker.

Reports in Holland state that Eindhoven made a last-gasp bid at the end of the January transfer window to try and lure Traore to the Philips Stadium, but they fell short and ran out of time.

Dutch publication Algemeen Dagblad report that Fred Rutten attempted to take advantage as Arsene Wenger pondered a move, but the Dutch giants could not agree terms with FC Cluj and may have missed out on the 19-year-old.

Frenchman Wenger decided against a move for the striker after perceived problems with securing a work permit. Footballers outside the EU should technically play 75% of international fixtures over the previous two years to secure a move to the UK, a stumbling block that would be nearly impossible to overcome on appeal.

That said, Wenger has been tracking Traore for some time. Linked with a handful of striikers, it appears Traore is one of his top targets and the Gunners boss could well push for a move in the summer.

An unidentified source told Sport.co.uk before the end of the transfer window: “I have been in touch with one scout from Arsenal. I can confirm that it is true that they are interested in Lacina, but they will not make an offer during the January transfer window for him.

The former Stade d’Abidjan star knows about the rumours, and is understandably excited about the prospect of playing in the Premier League. “It would be a dream for me to get to play on a team so great,” said Traore.

“It is sensational to hear Wenger is watching me. I could be a success in England.” (Give Me Football – Official PFA Website)

Arsene Wenger has been linked with all manner of striking talent as he looked to try to remedy the worsening injury crisis at the Emirates club but now the transfer window has been and gone Arsenal are now looking to the summer and some potential new additions.

Lacina Traore would be a giant capture in the sense that the Cluj forward measures a towering 6ft 8in but don’t let his height fool you as he, get ready for the cliche, has great feet for a big guy. The Ivorian teenager has been chased by all and sundry and looks set to leave his Romanian employers and have slapped a very reasonable £8m valuation on his ample shoulders.

Some see Traore as a player in a similar style to a certain Emmanuel Adebayor. Thankfully they are referring to the playing style of the former Gunner and not his somewhat dubious notions of loyalty. The former Stade d’Abidjan star clearly wants such a move to happen and should he be snapped up he would probably spend a season getting used to the Premier League and would hopefully grow into a talented player who could make a real impact at Arsenal.

If injuries were no concern then Arsene Wenger would appear to have a decent raft of striking talent with the first choice pairing appearing to be the excellent Robin Van Persie with the lethal instinctive finishing of Croation international Eduardo with the likes of Carlos Vela and Nicklas Bendtner to call upon from the bench and with youngsters such as Sanchez Watt coming through but with that said Wenger has seen how Arsenal have been left with having to play the Theo Walcott or Andrei Arshavin out of position and have as a result fallen out of the title race and the Arsenal boss will not want to be left high and dry again, hence his insistence on looking for new players to add to his Emirates squad.

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