Sources: Arsenal have a two-man shortlist for attacking targets in January window

Arsenal could be forced back into the attacking market in January after a summer that left Mikel Arteta with fewer options than expected across the front line.

Julian Alvarez and Eli Junior Kroupi represent two very different transfer routes.

Arsenal have shortlisted two attacking targets

Alvarez remains the more ambitious option, sources close to the agents industry have informed CaughtOffside.

The Atletico Madrid forward can play as a striker, second forward or from wider areas, while his pressing intensity and experience of winning major trophies would make him an obvious fit for Arteta’s system.

Arsenal explored a summer move, but Alvarez’s preference for Barcelona prevented negotiations from progressing.

That situation may change in January. TEAMtalk reports that Arsenal remain prepared to push strongly for Alvarez if his position at Atletico changes, despite the enormous fee that would likely be required.

Kroupi offers the opposite approach.

The 20-year-old scored 13 goals in 33 Premier League appearances for Bournemouth last season, an excellent return for such a young forward. He can play centrally or drift into wider attacking areas and would give Arsenal another developmental option.

However, his fractured metatarsal and subsequent surgery complicate any January move. Arsenal would need to be confident he has fully recovered before making a major investment.