Arsenal Transfer News: Gunners Smart to Make Improved Bid for Gonzalo Higuain

Arsenal's dragged-out pursuit of Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain has resulted in an increased bid for the talented Argentinian, which proves the Gunners mean business in this summer's transfer window.

According to Wayne Veysey of Goal.com, Arsenal brass have offered £23.1 million to Real for rights to the 25-year-old in a move that is sure to give the Spanish giants a lot to think about.

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The Gunners are confident their new bid will be enough to secure the Real Madrid striker, with sources saying the fee could be agreed by the two clubs 'within the next 24 hours.'

Arsenal had been reluctant to pay more than £21m for the Argentinian, but manager Arsene Wenger sanctioned a fresh bid closer towards Real's £25.5m valuation of the player. 

It is understood that the compromise figure of £23.1m could be enough to finalise a deal that has been in the pipeline for a number of weeks. 

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Veysey reported a few weeks back that Higuain and Arsenal agreed to personal terms at around £100,000 per week, leaving the transfer fee between the two clubs as the only thing left between the Argentinian switching jerseys.

The Gunners' fanbase has long been talking about a big summer window, in which they hope the club can replace departed stars like Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. According to John Cross of Mirror, they're putting all their efforts into landing some big names this summer. 

So far, they've proven they aren't afraid to shell out some serious cash in their courting of Higuain. Per Graeme Yorke of Daily Mail, Arsenal's previous transfer record was a £15 million move for Andrey Arshavin and this deal would obviously smash that feat. 

Surely, the Gunners will be hoping that their new potential signing will work out better than their last record-breaker. Per Yorke's report, Arshavin is on his way back to Zenit St. Petersburg permanently after an underwhelming career in England.

However, Higuain fits the mold of what Arsenal need the most in this transfer window: a scoring striker. 

Behind the lead of van Persie, Arsenal reached considerable amounts of success. Even after Fabregas and Nasri left, he was able to carry the squad and take over matches all by himself.

Perhaps Higuain won't take over to the degree of a van Persie, but this squad undoubtedly needs a striker who can finish off chances when he's given them. All too often last season, plays wouldn't get finished due to the lack of an elite striker up top.

That all changes with Higuain in the fold. Despite falling out of favor at times recently, the striker found a way to notch 107 goals in 187 career appearances with Real Madrid. Those are absolutely absurd numbers and only prove his worth.

Higuain and Arsenal can't expect that level of production after his move to England, unquestionably. The amount of 4-0 and 5-0 victories that Madrid enjoyed won't be there too often with the Gunners, and the quality of talent surrounding him won't be quite as formidable.

But as Higuain enters his prime, he's proven that the best thing for the future of his career is to join a club where he can be the first-team striker on a match-by-match basis. That's what Arsenal will offer.