Arsenal could find their next Santi Cazorla in Barcelona starlet Riqui Puig.

What's the story?

The Gunners have endured a difficult start to the new Premier League season, sitting in the bottom-half of the table and struggling to score goals. And it now appears Mikel Arteta's side are keen on making some reinforcements in the January transfer window.

The Athletic revealed: "Given the difficulty of buying in January, it may be that Arsenal need to scour the market for opportunities. There is one such potential case in Barcelona. Before the dismantling of their international scouting network, Arsenal had watched Barcelona’s young attacking midfielder Riqui Puig on several occasions.

"Puig’s recent fallout with head coach Ronald Koeman means he is likely to be available for transfer next month, with talk of interest from Leeds United. Technically, the Spaniard fits the profile of midfielder Arsenal require."

Imagine him and Thomas Partey

Ever since Cazorla left the club, Arsenal have struggled to find someone even near to the little Spanish magician. But in Puig, the Gunners could find exactly that.

The £18m-rated ace has already earned rave reviews for his performances, with former Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso even going so far as to describing him as "spectacular" after his side played Barcelona.

And in a profile done by The Athletic back in December 2018, it said: "Puig plays on that weird tightrope like Iniesta, even as we should shun any and all comparisons. When he has the ball, he moves, makes the ball move as though they both have somewhere to go: Forward. Puig rarely plays a pass that isn’t forward.

"People talk about Arthur, a wonderful addition to the first team who, more than any other transfer, has shown up equipped to play Barça football. But he doesn’t have what Puig has, even as he is older and more accomplished. Few players do and you can’t teach it, even as you can teach proper play."

In a midfield partnership of Puig and Partey, Arsenal could find the perfect blend of power and guile, and really set them up for the future.