Arsenal look to fight off Chelsea, Roma and Tottenham Hotspur interest to land £1.7m World Cup bargain

Arsenal are reportedly considering a move for Barcelona forward Memphis Depay as they look to fill the void left by an injury suffered by striker Gabriel Jesus.

The Brazil international has undergone surgery on a knee injury he sustained during the World Cup defeat against Cameroon and there have been reports he could be out of action for up to three months - but Gunners manager Mikel Arteta has revealed no return date has yet been set as he faces up to life without his summer signing in the near-future.

Asked about the injury and a possible move in January to replace Jesus, he said: “No. Obviously we know that, he needed some intervention in the knee, and we will have to take (it) day-by-day, week-by-week and see, where it takes us. Where it affects us is who we are as a team, because he gives us so much. So what we can do after that, when we know a little bit the timescale and when we can have him back, we will look at the options, and try to make the right decision.”

There have been reports the Gunners and London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are all considering moves for Depay after he has impressed during the first two weeks of the World Cup Finals. The former Manchester United forward has appeared in all four of the Netherlands’ fixtures so far ahead of Friday’s quarter-final meeting with Argentina.

The latest report from Spanish outlet Sport has revealed Barcelona would be willing to let Depay leave for around £1.7m - but Roma are only willing to sign the forward in a loan deal or on a free transfer. The report also suggests the Serie A club will face ‘problems relation to Memphis’ financial demands’ but will still ‘push ahead’ with discussions with the player’s representatives.

Roma are not the first Italian side to show an interest in Depay after a move to Juventus broke down during the summer over reported demands of an annual salary of around £5.7m.