Edu given £102m Arsenal striker shortlist as Toney and Osimhen decision made

Arsenal have been encouraged to explore deals for Dusan Vlahovic and Dominic Solanke this month, rather than sign Ivan Toney or Victor Osimhen. The Gunners have been heavily linked with numerous strikers throughout the January transfer window as Mikel Arteta aims to further bolster his frontline.

Not only are Arsenal the lowest-scoring club in the Premier League top-four but they're also the only side without a prolific goalscorer. Mohamed Salah, who has found the net 14 times this term, has fired Liverpool to the top of the table, meanwhile, Erling Haaland, who has just as many goals to his name, leads the line for Manchester City in second.

Arsenal, who are third, are without a talisman up top. Carrying the weight of the team's attack on his shoulders, Bukayo Saka is currently the Gunners' leading scorer in the English top flight this season with just six goals. Eddie Nketiah has netted five goals, although three of those came in one game and he rarely starts.

As for Aston Villa, Unai Emery's side are fourth with Ollie Watkins spearheading the attack. While the England international hasn't scored as many goals as Salah or Haaland, he is currently leading the charts for assists.

With Arteta in dire need of a talisman who can ease Arsenal's reliance on Saka, Mikael Silvestre urged Edu to sign Vlahovic or Solanke. Speaking to bettingexpert.com, the former Manchester United and Arsenal defender said: "I don’t think they can afford him (Vlahovic) financially.

"Based on ability and technically he’s excellent. We would have to deal with Juventus which isn’t easy. Would he be a good buy? Yes. 100%. I don’t think it will happen unless they can get him on loan.

"We have two weeks left of the window. It’s more of a summer signing because Juventus are fighting for the title and it wouldn't be smart to jeopardise their chances. It will be a close fight with Inter for the title and they want to maintain that so it’s not realistic this winter."

Then, on the Bournemouth striker, Silvestre added: "Good strikers are so difficult to catch. Would Solanke be available? I doubt it. He’s good. He’s made a lot of progress since his debut. He looks like a veteran in the Premier League. I like him a lot."

If Edu was to heed Silvestre then Arsenal could find themselves forking out millions this month – but still potentially less than what it would cost to sign either Toney or Osimhen, who have both been tipped to cost £100million this month. According to CIES Football Observatory, Vlahovic and Solanke are only valued at a combined €120million (£102m).