Juventus have moved ahead of Chelsea and Arsenal in the race to sign Russian World Cup hero Aleksandr Golovin, rated at £16.2m by Transfermarkt, from CSKA Moscow, according to Italian outlet TuttoSport.

What's the story, then?

The report claims that the Russian midfielder has become more keen to join the Italian champions after they secured the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo and that has moved them ahead of the London duo.

However, they say that Golovin's will is not the only key factor and that CSKA want 10m euros more than they are currently being offered by Juve.

That should reportedly serve to keep Arsenal's hopes alive, with Chelsea otherwise engaged with their pursuit of Napoli playmaker Jorginho.

[ad_pod ]

Arsenal must take advantage

As mentioned, Chelsea have their eye off the ball as they focus on another midfield target in Jorginho, which may also make Golovin think twice in terms of the gametime he could get at Stamford Bridge.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo's transfer may have increased Golovin's desire to join Juventus but it will also have taken a huge chunk out of the budget, to the extent that even Arsenal - lacking Champions League football - can compete in the race financially.

That should open the door for Unai Emery to pounce and if he does, he will be acting more decisively than Arsene Wenger often did.