Arsenal striker alternative 'identified' as Ivan Toney 'wage demands' emerge

Arsenal are now in the midst of their winter break, with another full week until they take on Crystal Palace on January 20. The Gunners remain in fourth place in the Premier League, five points behind leaders Liverpool.

Mikel Arteta's men have work to do after a disappointing Christmas period, and while they face a frustrating wait to get back to action, leaders Liverpool are also on the same timeline, meaning they won't be able to extend their lead this weekend. As the Gunners recharge their batteries, we have rounded up all the latest news surrounding the Emirates Stadium.

Toney price emerges

Arsenal will reportedly need to pay a huge wage to land Brentford frontman Ivan Toney this month. According to TalkSport, the Gunners are interested in the Bees striker, whose suspension ends next week, but it would be a pricey deal to pull off.

The report claims Toney would demand more than £200,000 per week, which is more than the Gunners pay Bukayo Saka. On top of that, Brentford are said to be demanding £80million or more for their star striker. That could put Toney out of reach for Arsenal in the near future given their FFP situation.

Striker alternative

Arsenal are also said to be interested in a deal for Bologna frontman Joshua Zirkzee, though they are not alone. The 22-year-old has scored eight times this season, and he is said to be attracting attention aplenty.

Manchester United are being linked, and The Telegraph say Arsenal 'accept' that a mid-season deal for a striker would be tough to pull off financially. It's added that Bologna are likely to demand £50million or more to sign Zirkzee this winter. That would make the young striker cheaper than Toney, but it may well remain outside the Gunners' price range for this transfer window.