Arsenal, and sporting director Edu by extension, are attempting to sign Borussia Monchengladbach star Marcus Thuram, according to reports.
The Lowdown: Edu's ambition...
The Gunners transfer chief, who recently put pen to paper on a new deal at the Emirates Stadium, reportedly has big plans for Arsenal and has set his sights on a Premier League title triumph.
Edu has been linked with a few ambitious moves, with reports suggesting that advanced talks for some targets are already underway even outside of the January transfer window.
For instance, Danilo of Palmeiras is heavily on the agenda of Arsenal as the north Londoners apparently move forward in discussions to sign the Brazilian ace.
The Latest: Edu 'working' to sign Thuram...
Amid this reported activity behind the scenes, another claim has highlighted that Edu could be a very busy man at the Emirates. Indeed, it is also believed that Arsenal's new sporting director is trying to sign France international Thuram, who is in Qatar for the World Cup, from Gladbach.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reported (via Sport Witness) that the Premier League leaders are 'working' to sign the 6 foot 4 powerhouse.
In a boost for Mikel Arteta, Gladbach are prepared to sanction a cut-price winter deal of around €10m (£8.7m) for Thuram - a major plummet from his €40m (£35m) valuation last year. This is due to his contract situation, with his current deal set to expire in 2023.
However, Arsenal will face serious competition from abroad, with Bayern Munich, Juventus, Inter Milan and Marseille also in the mix.
The Verdict: Do it...
As per WhoScored, Thuram has been a revelation for Gladbach in the Bundesliga, standing out as their best-performing player by average match rating whilst chipping in with 10 goals and three assists.
With numbers like this, it's hardly a surprise that he has been labelled 'world class' by Wolfsburg sporting director Marcel Schafer, and we believe that it would be remiss of Edu and Arsenal if they didn't at least attempt a bargain January move for the 25-year-old.