Arsenal scouts were in France this week to watch Aleksey Batrakov, a Russian international attacking midfielder who joined Galatasaray for a little over £20million, according to TEAMtalk. The 21-year-old scored Galatasaray's second goal as they came from behind to beat Lille 4-2, their first away win in Europe for more than 11 months.
Scouts track Russian wonderkid
Batrakov, who hit double-figures for Lokomotiv Moscow in each of the last two Russian Premier League seasons, has already found the net twice this term, also scoring against Barcelona. He is reported to have a £50m release clause, with Liverpool among the other clubs said to be scouting him.
He already has four goals and four assists across 15 senior international caps for Russia and set up the opener in a 2-0 victory over Iran during the last international break.
Portuguese goal machine eyed
Arsenal have also taken note of Gustavo Varela, a 21-year-old Portuguese youngster making a big impression in Serie A with Monza. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Gunners are among several top European sides keen on the player, who has been touted as a potential long-term heir to Cristiano Ronaldo at international level.
Varela has scored four goals in just seven outings for the Under-21s, helping Portugal qualify for next summer's finals in Albania and Serbia. At club level, he has scored six goals in his first six Serie A appearances and also bagged a brace on his Coppa Italia debut.
Arsenal could face a battle for his signature, though, with Italian giants Napoli and former club Benfica both keeping close tabs on the hotshot.
January investment planned
The Gunners have a number of young talents on the way already. Victor Ozhianvuna will join from Shamrock Rovers in January while the Quintero twins will follow over the summer, and a deal has also been agreed for Georgian talent Andria Bartishvili.
Looking further ahead, further investment could follow in the January transfer window. Mikel Arteta will need to take a different approach on Saturday when Everton visit the Emirates Stadium, with Bukayo Saka forced off early with a quad injury against Bayern Munich in midweek and set to be out for some time.
