Fresh from signing Deportivo's Lucas Perez ahead of the last transfer deadline, Arsenal are looking at another attacking player in the form of Porto’s Andre Silva, according to reports from O Jogo.

What’s the story?

The Portuguese outlet claim Arsenal scouted Silva during his Champions League outing against Leicester City last week, a game the Estadio do Dragao outfit lost. It’s understood that scouts were dispatched by Arsene Wenger to keep an eye on the 20-year-old, who has been in good form so far this season.

So, why the fuss?

Silva is emerging as one of the top talents in the Primeira Liga, that’s why he’s attracting attention. The youngster has already netted seven goals in league action this season and boasts a good return with Portugal at U21 level – four goals in three games.

There are the caveats of football in his homeland being a level below the traditional ‘big five’ divisions in Europe, but it must be remembered that the Portuguese won EURO 2016 with a host of players plying their trade in domestic action, while big-name strikers such as Hulk and Radamel Falcao were schooled at Porto. Interestingly, ESPN claim he has a release clause, but it’s hard to imagine Wenger shelling out €60m (£52.9m) for Silva…

Where would he fit?

Wenger seems to be heading away from his target man centre-forward method of recent years, with Olivier Giroud now firmly behind Alexis Sanchez in the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium. His move for Lucas Perez, who has yet to fully adjust to English football, further hints at fluid movement and pace being seen as the answer to Arsenal’s title-blocking issues.

Silva, who stands at 6ft. 1”, is more of a traditional striker, which does somewhat go against this seemingly new Gunners ethos. Perhaps, though, the problem for Wenger is Giroud’s lack of ruthlessness, and he may simply want a similar player with a better goal return.

Silva's stats (via Squawka) show that he is returning comparable numbers with Arsenal’s leading striker this season, Sanchez, and is outperforming the likes of Perez and Giroud – albeit in a league of notably lesser quality.

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