Arsenal news: £50million wonderkid wows scouts as Cristiano Ronaldo heir on radar

· Mirror

Mikel Arteta has already got some top talent joining him at Arsenal but transfer talk hasn't slowed down

Arsenal kept their unbeaten Champions League record alive in midweek but it came at a cost. Bukayo Saka was forced off early with a quad injury against Bayern Munich and looks set to be out for some time.

Mikel Arteta will need to take a different approach on Saturday when Everton visit the Emirates Stadium. Looking further ahead, though, further investment could follow in the January transfer window.

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.

They might not be the only new arrivals, though. We've taken a look at a couple of other stars reported to be capturing Arsenal's attention.

Scouts keep tabs on Russian wonderkid

Arsenal scouts were in France this week to watch Aleksey Batrakov, according to TEAMtalk. The Russian international 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.

Batrakov, an attacking midfielder, joined the Turkish side for a little over £20million after hitting double-figures for Lokomotiv Moscow in each of the last two Russian Premier League seasons. He has already found the net twice this term, also netting against Barcelona.

Liverpool are among the other clubs said to be scouting the 21-year-old, who is reported to have a £50m release clause. 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

Portuguese youngster Gustavo Varela has been making a big impression in Serie A this season and Arsenal have taken note. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Gunners are among several top European sides keen on the Monza star.

Varela, 21, has been touted as a potential long-term heir to Cristiano Ronaldo at international level. He 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's 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.

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