Bad news for Kai Havertz: Arsenal are reportedly interested in one of Europe’s most in-form strikers
England’s champions Arsenal have joined the long list of parties interested in Portuguese under-21 international Gustavo Varela of Serie A club AC Monza, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
All of Italy's top clubs, led by SSC Napoli, are keeping an eye on Varela, according to the report. Arsenal have also "set their sights on" the forward after his outstanding start to the season.
At Arsenal, German international striker Kai Havertz is a regular under manager Mikel Arteta. The Spanish coach is an avowed admirer of the former Leverkusen player, but Havertz is not a true number nine. Rumours of Arsenal's interest in other forwards keep resurfacing. Swede Viktor Gyökeres is reportedly unhappy with his role as a substitute and may want to leave the club in the winter.
Varela is also said to have caught the Gunners' attention. The 21-year-old is excelling at Monza, with six goals in six Serie A matches this season. That puts him joint second in the scoring charts alongside Roma striker Donyell Malen, behind Frosinone's Antonio Raimondo (seven goals). Varela also scored a brace against Avellino in the Coppa Italia.
With that return driving a rapid rise in his market value, Monza are already rubbing their hands. The Lombardy club signed Varela from Benfica last summer for the comparatively low fee of €2.5 million, beating HSV, FC Paris and Serie A rivals Venezia and Parma to his signature.
How long is Gustavo Varela under contract at AC Monza?
Varela's contract runs until 2030 and, according to Gazzetta, does not include a buy-back clause for Benfica. Portuguese media had recently reported that it did and also said there were hopes in Lisbon of bringing the 21-year-old back. Benfica are said to have secured a matching right and a 20 per cent share of any future sale.
Having come through the youth ranks of Benfica's arch-rivals Sporting, Varela played for PAOK Thessaloniki's youth teams from 2016 to 2022. He then moved to Portugal's record champions for a training compensation fee of €100,000. He did not break into Benfica's first team, and the club loaned him from the B team to Gil Vicente in 2025/26. There, he scored seven goals and provided three assists in 33 competitive appearances. Varela has also scored regularly for Portugal's youth national teams for years. He currently has four goals in seven appearances for the under-21s.
