Arsenal and Chelsea linked £50m goal machine absent from Premier League side's FA Cup squad

AFC Bournemouth made the trip to QPR without star striker Dominic Solanke for their FA Cup third-round meeting with the Championship strugglers on Saturday.

The 26-year-old, who has been linked with a move to Arsenal and Chelsea this week after a scintillating Premier League season so far, was neither in Andoni Iraola's starting XI nor among the substitutes at Loftus Road. The Bournemouth manager had not explicitly confirmed an injury to Solanke but did hint that there would be absentees from his side this weekend.

Speaking on Friday, Iraola said: “We’re quite thin right now because we lose from the other day Dango and Antoine, although Dango is actually injured. I hope he can recover and help his national team but it’s not clear.

“We have a couple of players also who finished with small issues from the other day against Spurs, so we’ll have to see if they can help us tomorrow. I cannot tell you who! I don’t think we are recovering anyone else from the other day so we are quite thin but I hope we are enough to go tomorrow and win the game.”

Solanke, who has six goals in his last six Premier League appearances, has turned heads this season with his tally of 12 already doubling his previous best of six. With the marksman in such a purple patch of form, it's unsurprising to hear rumours of clubs in European competitions holding interest in his services.

Arsenal are believed to be one such club with the Gunners known to be in the market for a striker this January. Mikel Arteta's side are the apparent frontrunners to complete a deal for Brentford's returning Ivan Toney but Solanke has been touted as another option, who could be available for much less than the £100 million tag the Bees have put on their man.

The Express report that Arsenal could tempt Bournemouth to release their striker for £50 million while both of the player's former clubs Chelsea and Liverpool have been touted as other potential destinations.

Speaking about the rumours last week, Iraola said: “You ask me about the market. Obviously, I don’t want to lose Dom Solanke. It is very easy for me to say it. But every time the market opens, as coaches we don’t know what is going to happen. We cannot have anything guaranteed."