Arsenal have been backed to sign Erling Haaland in January, especially if Manchester City are given one of two extreme punishments.

Earlier this week, we reported that Barcelona and Real Madrid sent scouts to watch Haaland during last Sunday’s 3-0 win against Liverpool.

This comes as the Spanish giants potentially gear up to sign Haaland from Man City, though Arsenal are also being mooted as a potential destination for the world-class striker.

An exit for Haaland and Man City‘s other leading stars looks increasingly inevitable after the club were found guilty on 114 of their 115 FFP charges, even though the club have appealed.

Given the severity of this case, a range of severe sanctions are on the table for Man City, including a huge fine, transfer ban, points deduction, expulsion and/or being stripped of their Premier League titles.

And if Man City fall out of the Premier League, presenter Adrian Durham has called for Arsenal to sign Haaland.

Durham said on talkSPORT: “I was thinking to myself, just imagine Man City get relegated to the North West Counties Premier Division…

“And all those players want to leave. Would any of those players get into the PSG side? I couldn’t really think of too many.

“Then, I thought Erling Haaland would get into any side in the world, his goal rate is phenomenal – and then an idea struck me.

“Arsenal in January should go for Erling Haaland.”

Arsenal urged to make ‘serious bid’ for Erling Haaland as he ‘will want to leave’

Durham has also argued that Haaland will “want to leave” Man City even if they are handed a lesser punishment than expulsion, with Arsenal having one main reason for signing him.

Durham continued: “The reason is this: They’ve been dilly-dallying about, showing a bit of pity on Kai Havertz, saying he works hard, when he really isn’t that elite level striker that they want.

“Arteta is sticking by his man Gyokeres, when we all know that he’s not good enough for that elite level. Arteta has just got to hold his hands up and say he’s got this one wrong, he’s never going to make it and we’re never going to get down this road.

“How good would it be for Arsenal, as they try to dominate domestically and in Europe, season after season, to sign the goal machine that is Erling Haaland?

“There’s no way that he’ll want to stay at Man City. Even if they stay in the Premier League, but have 30, 40, 50 points deducted for the next nine seasons, he will want to leave.

“He has to be playing elite level…so my hot take is that Arsenal in January should go all out for Erling Haaland.

“A serious bid. Not a Luis Suarez bid, the £1 extra that they made all those years ago, a serious proper bid that City can’t turn down and that Haaland can’t turn down. Then Arsenal will dominate home and abroad for years to come.”

He later added: “Arsenal lack the box office player…Haaland will be the box office finish that the team needs to be remembered forever more.”