Mirko Vucinic
Arsenal told they can only sign Mirko Vucinic on a permanent deal. Reuters

Arsenal will have to pay £8m to sign Juventus striker Mirko Vucinic during the January transfer window but have been told a loan move is out of the question.

The Premier League leaders are understood to be interested in bringing the 30-year-old forward to the Emirates Stadium to strengthen their forward options, which took another hit today as Arsene Wenger confirmed both Olivier Giroud and Nicklas Bendtner will be unavailable for the visit of Tottenham.

It is understood the Gunners initially wanted to take the Montenegrin striker on a loan deal until the season after meeting with Juventus general manager Beppe Marrota in London. But the Serie A champions are only interested in negotiating a permanent move for Vuciinic, the Daily Mirror report.

Arsene Wenger will be keen to add an established presence up front with the likes of Atletico Madrid star Diego Costa linked with a move to the Emirates. But the Gunners' boss is likely to be aware of the limitations of the notoriously difficult winter window and may consider bringing in a short term solution until the summer.

Arsenal are likely to be without a fully fit striker in their squad for the visit of Tottenham in their FA Cup third round on Saturday after Giroud missed training on Friday though illness.

Bendtner is also a major doubt after suffering an ankle injury during the win over Cardiff on New Year's Day, while 20-year-old Yaya Sanogo is unlikely to be in contention as he continues to recover from a back injury.

The report also suggests West Ham officials also had a meeting with the Juventus chief to discuss a possible move for Fabio Quagliarella. The Mirror suggest the Bianconeri will listen to offers of £4m for the 31-year-old forward, as Sam Allardyce looks to address his toothless options in attack.