Gunners are desperate to find cover for their only fit centre-foward Olivier Giroud.
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Premier League leaders Arsenal are pondering signing out-of-favour Juventus front man Fernando Llorente on loan when the transfer window reopens for business at the turn of the year, according to reports in the Daily Mirror.
The highly rated Spain international only joined the Serie A champions in July after arriving in Turin from Liga outfit Athletic Bilbao on a lucrative free transfer.
However, it is fair to say that Llorente has found it hard to settle in Italy so far, with the 28-year-old having featured in just the six matches in total in all competitions for Antonio Conte’s side, hitting the back of the net on only one occasion in that time in the club’s 2-1 home win over Hellas Verona last month.
And as a result, the striker is now said to be fretting over his place in Spain’s squad at next summer’s World Cup finals in Brazil, where Vincente del Bosque’s men will be defending their title.
All of which has opened the door for the north London club to move for Llorente in the new year, with Gunners head coach Arsene Wenger, who scouted the Spaniard extensively last January before opting not to compete with Juve for the player’s signature, hoping to take the forward on an initial six-month loan deal, with the option of then bringing him to the Emirates on a permanent contract next summer.