Arsenal Transfer News: Lopez Would Give Gunners Much-Needed Help on Attack

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is allegedly, aggressively pursuing the prospect of signing Atletico Madrid forward Adrian Lopez. If that is indeed the case, the striker would give the Gunners' attack much needed help.

According to a report broken by Goal.com chief correspondent Wayne Veysey, Wenger is looking to jump-start negotiations with Lopez ahead of the next transfer window in hopes that the bold approach will allow the team to land him.

The potential salary for Lopez will be approximately 14.6 million pounds. That is affordable, as Arsenal's recent financial disclosures indicate that the club has 50 million quid to spend in 2013.

Still, it's a rather pricey investment. But especially in light of most recent events for the Gunners, it should be well worth it.

With the chance to rise to fourth place in the Premier League, goalkeeper John Ruddy and the Norwich City defense stonewalled the likes of Gervinho, Santi Cazorla, and the rest of the Arsenal attack on Saturday.

The disappointing 1-0 loss to the Canaries at Carrow Road—a team that had yet to win a game and allowed 17 goals through seven games of EPL play—exposed the Arsenal offense as being rather lackluster.

This is where the 24-year-old Lopez would bring some immediate firepower.

As the leading goal scorer on Atletico Madrid in the club's run to a UEFA 2011-12 Europa League title, it is clear that Lopez can find the net with the best of the world's young players. As Veysey notes in his report in the strong Arsenal interest in Lopez that has included extensive scouting, some are hailing Lopez as the next David Villa, the hero that carried Spain to its first World Cup in 2010. That's high praise to say the least.

Also interesting is the assertion that Arsenal nearly pulled out of acquiring acclaimed forward Olivier Giroud this summer in order to acquire Lopez. According to an account by a source of Veysey's, this is how it went down:

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[Wenger] tried to pull the plug on the Giroud deal to sign Lopez instead. But by then it was too late and the Giroud transfer had already been signed off.

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Giroud only has one goal in seven appearances as he continues to adjust to the climate of the Premier League. Fellow transfer window acquisition Lukas Podolski has also struggled to make an impact for the Gunners just yet.

With the Arsenal manager trying to change up the lineups and still not getting any consistency out of his front line, it's clear Robin van Persie's departure has left its mark. The former Gunner captain now plays alongside Wayne Rooney for Manchester United and already has six goals in eight matches.

A corroborating report from the Daily Mail supports the notion that Lopez will indeed be coveted to join Arsenal in January.

Wenger can redeem himself for not picking up the explosive striker the first time around, and possibly save the Gunners' hopes for winning the EPL title in 2012.