Arsenal Must Up €8m Valuation to Land Brazilian Forward – Report

Arsenal have had an €8m bid rejected for Alexandre Pato with the club on the lookout for a forward in the hopes of improving their depth as the season hits the business end, reports claim.

Pato is believed to be on the radar of both the Gunners are Tottenham in the lead-up to January and on the back of continued decent performances for Corinthians and the Brazil national side this season his value is continuing to rise.

Brazilian football site Lancenet is claiming that Arsenal have attempted to get ahead of their bitter rivals by submitting an €8m bid for Pato but so far Corinthians are not interested in doing business with Arsene Wenger.

Pato is believed to be open to a move away from the Brazilian outfit, particularly as supporters have taken issue with his performances in recent matches.

The 24 year old has scored 10 times in 16 league starts for Corinthians and with the World Cup now just over six months away he will be looking for maximum game time as a part of any future agreement for a move.

Wenger reportedly sees the former AC Milan man as a good support line for Olivier Giroud, who is currently starring for Arsenal but is their only fully fit out-and-out striker.

While the manager has insisted that Nicklas Bendtner will be utilised after failing to sell the hitman in the summer, the Denmark international has since gone so far as to claim that he is working hard in the hope of securing a move away from north London in January.

Wenger has used Bendtner on seven occasions this season though he has failed to score in any of those and hasn't been selected since the Gunners lost to Manchester United on 10 November.