Arsenal have started "making moves" for Monza striker Gustavo Varela amid their ongoing search for a possible Viktor Gyokeres replacement.

The Gunners are being linked with virtually every striker under the sun right now. Gyokeres had a mixed first season in North London and could already be on the way out, as he is struggling for consistent minutes this term.

Criticised for being a flat-track bully who only scores against weaker teams, the Sweden international bagged 21 goals across all competitions in 2025/26 and did play an important role in Arsenal's long-awaited Premier League triumph.

However, Gyokeres has yet to open his account for the current season. He has failed to score in nine attempts and has logged just 345 minutes so far, with a measly 80 coming in the Premier League. He was an unused substitute in three of Arsenal's first four top-flight fixtures.

Understandably, the 28-year-old is reportedly getting frustrated with his situation, and there have even been sensational claims that he could push for a transfer as early as January. Arsenal, however, won't let him leave unless they have an adequate replacement lined up.

Arsenal get serious over Varela

The Gunners have been associated with Julian Alvarez, Nicolo Tresoldi and Can Uzun in their search for a new striker, while they will also surely be keeping tabs on summer target Eli Kroupi once he returns from his lengthy injury lay-off.

Earlier this week, another name was added to the Premier League champions' list of targets: Monza sensation Gustavo Varela, who has netted seven goals in as many games in Serie A and also notched a brace in his sole Coppa Italia outing.

The 21-year-old has hit the ground running in Lombardy after arriving from Benfica for €2.5 million in the summer, and Monza are already licking their lips at the hefty profit they could turn on the Portugal youth international.

Varela's impressive goalscoring form has attracted attention beyond Italy, where Napoli and Inter are closely monitoring his performances. Arsenal have reportedly also been impressed by a youngster "everyone is crazy about."

Tuttomercatoweb backs up the claims from earlier this week and writes that Premier League clubs have begun "making moves" for the physical attacker, who is believed to be tailor-made for English football.

The Gunners are clearly at the front of the queue for this "complete striker," as they are the only English club explicitly named by the Italian outlet. While a move to the reigning Premier League champions might be premature, it shouldn't be surprising that Arsenal are intimately familiar with Varela's game.

Former Napoli recruitment guru Maurizio Micheli is Andrea Berta's right-hand man. He knows the Italian market inside out and has a knack for unearthing promising attackers. That doesn't mean that Varela will end up at the Emirates, but it explains why Arsenal are following his development so intently.