Arsenal consider record £19m bid for Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain

With £70 million to spend, Arsenal are preparing for their most adventurous transfer window under Arsène Wenger and are conscious of the need to move quickly within a market that will become intense following all the major managerial changes.

Wenger was interested in Higuaín before he even joined Real Madrid from River Plate in 2007 and there is a feeling that he could now be attainable for what would be a club-record transfer fee of £19 million.

Arsenal have also watched Stevan Jovetic, the Montenegro and Fiorentina striker, but there are doubts over whether he will leave Italy. Wayne Rooney is another striker to have been considered, but he is unlikely to fit into Arsenal’s wage structure.

Karim Benzema, another Real Madrid forward with an uncertain future, is also a player Wenger has long admired and it is this calibre of established forward that Arsenal want to sign.

Wenger confirmed on Friday that Arsenal were in talks for Yaya Sanogo but the Auxerre forward, 20, would be seen as a signing for the long term.