According to reports in Russia, Arsenal are close to completing a deal for Dynamo Moscow attacker Alexander Kokorin.
Gazeta [via the Metro] note that the Gunners are in an advanced stage of negotiations with the forward, and are set to complete a move to bring him to the Emirates Stadium before the transfer window closes on September 1.
The North London heavyweights have had a muted start to the new season, and have failed to score in their two home Premier League fixtures to date—a 2-0 defeat to West Ham United and a 0-0 draw with Liverpool.
As such, it has been anticipated that the Gunners will look to bring in new attacking talents, with Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema heavily linked with a move to North London [Express].
However, a recent tweet sent out by the French striker would appear to indicate that he has no intention of leaving the Bernabeu anytime soon.
For all those clowns who want to make believe things at my fans. Here this is my home ! #HalaMadridYNadaMas pic.twitter.com/og6tMZKoft
— Karim Benzema (@Benzema) August 24, 2015
Gunners fans may be hoping that the likes of Edinson Cavani [Evening Standard] and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang [Independent]—both of whom have been linked with a move to Arsenal—could be targeted in light of Benzema’s snub.
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However, it now looks much more likely that their new addition will be Kokorin, who has also been targeted by Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur [both TASS via talkSPORT], Zenit St. Petersburg and Paris Saint-Germain [both Metro].
According to talkSPORT, the player has a release clause of £13.5 million, which may make him an appealing prospect for the Gunners.