Arsenal are looking to bolster their striking options during the January transfer window as they hope to agree a deal for Atletico Madrid forward Adrian Lopez.

The north London club are still concerned that Theo Walcott could leave on a free in the summer if a new deal cannot be agreed with the England international, which would leave manager Arsene Wenger somewhat short of options in attack.

Adrian Lopez
Adrian Lopez challenges Xabi Alonso in the Madrid derby. [Reuters]

It is largely expected that Marouane Chamakh will leave this month, while Gervinho has struggled to make an impact when asked to play the lone forward role.

Olivier Giroud has begun to show glimpses of the form that made him the top scorer in France last season, but the Daily Mail believes that Wenger has already made contact with Atletico over the possible transfer of Adrian.

The 24-year-old has been far from prolific during his career but has always excelled as a support striker, and has impressed over the last 18 months in tandem with Radamel Falcao.

His impressive performances in 2012 also caught the eye of Spain boss Vicente del Bosque who handed Adrian his debut in the 2-0 friendly win over Serbia where the forward excelled by scoring one and winning a penalty.

The Mail believes that Atletico would look to secure a transfer fee of around £15million and that Arsenal have already opened discussions as they look to complete the deal this month.

Arsenal had been heavily linked with Schalke's Klaas Jan Huntelaar but the Dutch striker recently agreed a new deal with the German club, ending any chance of a possible move to the Emirates.

Should Wenger fail to land Adrian then he may attempt to land another Spanish striker in Barcelona's David Villa who has fallen out of favour under new boss Tito Vilanova.

Barcelona still owe Arsenal funds over the transfers of Alex Song and Cesc Fabregas, which could help the London club to finance the deal if Villa was prepared to leave the Spanish giants.

However, much will depend on whether Arsenal can convince Walcott to remain at the club as he has excelled while playing as a striker this season.

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