Arsenal’s transfer pursuit of AC Milan striker, Andre Silva has been dealt out a huge blow after reports came out stating AS Monaco to be the new interested parties. The player’s agent, Jorge Mendes is already holding talks with the Ligue 1 outfit while none of the other interested parties including Arsenal have yet made a serious offer.
Silva arrived at San Siro last summer following his impressive 21 goal season with FC Porto. He also got to showcase his talents for the Portugal national team 18 times and has been dubbed to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s heir. The five-time Balon d’Or winner was quoted, “When I retire, Portugal will be in good hands because they have already found a great striker: Andre Silva.”
However, the 22-year-old’s meteoric rise has crumbled in recent times with the striker failing to score even once in the Serie A this season. He has managed 8 in other competitions and might already have fallen out of favour with Gennaro Gattuso.
Silva is still young and has the years ahead of him to follow up on his own promises. However, by the looks of it, Arsenal will not be the one benefiting from his talents and Arsene Wenger will have to look elsewhere for replacements.
Wenger has already bolstered the club ranks in the January window through the signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund for £60m. Wenger also has Alexandre Lacazette as the number nine option who arrived last summer for £52m. With Danny Welbeck as a rotational option, the striker role is well covered and Silva might just be a surplus to requirements until and unless someone makes an exit.
Here a few candidates that the North London side should consider.
Luan Vieira
The Gremio forward has been on Arsenal’s books for quite some time now and Wenger can look to reignite that interest.
Capped at international level for Brazil on two occasions, Luan is one of the best attacking threats in the Gremio lineup. He has appeared in 131 games for the Brazilian outfit registering 36 goals and 22 assists.
Andrea Pinamonti
The 19-year-old has been a sensation for AC Milan this season with 6 goals and 3 assists in 6 matches of the UEFA Youth League. Standing at 6 feet 1 inches tall Pinamonti is as strong as he is quick with his feet. The striker is well adept in holding up the ball to link up with his teammates and puts in a decent defensive shift.
Karim Benzema
Arsenal was pegged to be his number one destination if the Frenchman ended his stint with Real Madrid. The Galacticos are already preparing to offload a host of their veteran stars and Benzema might be up for grabs after a woeful season in terms of any trophy challenge.
