Five Strikers on Arsenal's January Radar

Arsene Wenger has revealed he will be in the market for a striker in the New Year, after the Arsenal manager confirmed he hoped to bolster his squad ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Marouane Chamakh and Gervinho will both be absent from the Emirates in January, representing Morocco and Ivory Coast respectively.

The Arsenal manager is keen to ease the goal scoring burden on the in-form Robin van Persie, with Lille's Eden Hazard and Moussa Sow on the Frenchman's radar.

"We lose players like Chamakh and Gervinho to the Africa Cup of Nations, so hopefully touch wood we do not get any injuries to our strikers," Wenger told the official Arsenal website. "But if an opportunity turns up in that department then we will buy.

"The situation, I must say, is a bit special. Economically the whole environment has changed and people suffer more. The clubs will suffer more financially and it's much more difficult. Maybe we will have some opportunities because we are in a good financial situation."

With this in mind IBTimes Sport takes a look at five Arsenal transfer targets who could be heading to the Emirates in the New Year.

Arsene Wenger remains keen on Belgian playmaker Eden Hazard. Lille president Michel Seydoux has slapped a €50 million price tag on the player but admitted that no player is irreplaceable.

Hazard has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal in the last year, and while Lille have fought hard to hold on to their star, Seydoux is now open to the idea of a deal if the price is right.

Chelsea have recently shown interest in Hazard, along with Real Madrid, but Arsenal have been connected to the 20 year old for the long term, though a price as high as €50 million doesn't even come close to the record that Wenger has spent on a player in his 15 years at the club.

"There is a real chance that he will stay at Lille if we have a good season and he still sees challenges here," Seydoux told RTL.

"If we don't do well, it's probable that he will leave the club after this season as there's plenty of interest.

"Will €50 million be enough? Nobody is irreplaceable and there are solutions for that kind of money."

Arsenal target Lukas Podolski admits he has received offers from other clubs but maintained he will hold talks with Cologne before making a decision on his future.

Podolski, 26, has been strongly linked with a move to a host of top European sides in recent weeks, but the striker has revealed he is in no rush to make a decision over his future.

"I will talk to Cologne before anybody else and see what they have to say," the Arsenal target told ZDF Television following his side's recent 2-2 draw with Stuttgart.

"Of course I am getting plenty of offers and I expect more of them to arrive to me, to my agent or to my club in the coming weeks, but I repeat: I must first talk to Cologne."

The German international has been heavily linked with a £20m move to Arsenal in January, as uncertainty continues to surround Robin van Persie's future at the club.

Podolski has been frustrated by his side's poor start to the season and discussions over an extension to his current contract, which expires in 2013, have stalled.

When questioned about Arsenal's reported interest, the German international said: "Arsenal are a top club. They have a good team and play right at the top level in England.

"I have become more relaxed about things in general. There is no rush. I will just sit down and discuss things with Cologne and then we will have to see.

"Moving to another club within the Bundesliga is something I can hardly imagine. If I decide to leave Koln, it will be to move abroad," Podolski told Sport Bild.

Lille striker Moussa Sow has put Arsenal on red alert after he admitted he would relish a move to the Premier League.

Sow, 25, is regarded as one of the best strikers in Europe after helping Lille to the Ligue 1 title last season and has already notched eight goals in the club's current campaign.

Arsenal have monitored the Senegal striker and his club team-mate Eden Hazard for a number of months and will consider a bid for Sow in January after negotiations over an extension to his current deal stalled.

The striker's contract expires in 18 months' time and Lille could sanction a £10m move to Arsenal next summer to avoid losing him for free the following year.

"I have a contract signed until June 2013 and Lille want me to sign another contract but the negotiations have stopped," Sow told French radio station RMC Sports. "I don't accept the conditions or the silence from the club. That's not me putting on pressure, just the truth.

"I'm only thinking about football and it's not possible to leave in January. But my dream is to play in the Premier League, because you progress as a player with the atmosphere, goals and game.

"I watch the games with envy on TV. I desire to play there on day. Arsenal are a big club. But we will see."

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will be encouraged by reports that Sow's contract talks have stalled.

"Are extension talks finished? I don't know," Sow told L'Equipe. "The talks we have had didn't succeed, but I am not moaning. I remain the same and will put my ego to one side."

Santos striker Neymar has emerged as an unlikely transfer target for the Gunners – albeit a far-fetched one.

The Arsenal manager believes the highly-rated Brazilian could be the hottest prospect in world football but said the player would only prove himself as one of the game’s greats when he performed on a bigger stage.

“If I had the money today, I’d put it on Neymar,” Wenger said. “You can’t say that Neymar is Pele as he had won the World Cup by the age of 17.

“He has the potential to be one of the future great strikers but at the moment there’s a big difference between the Brazilian league and a European league.”

Out-of-favour Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou has been linked with a move to north London after struggling to hold down a place in the Blues’ first-XI.

The Cote d’Ivore international has fallen behind Didier Drogba, Fernando Torres and Daniel Sturridge under new-boss Andre Villas-Boas and has made just seven appearances this season.

However, with Kalou bound for the African Cup of Nations in January, a bid in the New Year seems unlikely.