Arsenal Transfer News: Edinson Cavani 'Contact Made,' Andriy Yarmolenko Rumours

Those Arsenal fans baying to see more attacking arrivals at the Emirates Stadium will be buoyed to hear speculation that moves for Edinson Cavani and Andriy Yarmolenko are moving in a positive direction.

Spanish outlet Fichajes alleges that "contact has been made" with Paris Saint-Germain regarding the potential signing of Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani next summer (h/t Metro's George Bellshaw).

Thibault Camus/Associated Press

However, it's highly unlikely the Ligue 1 champions would allow Cavani to leave their ranks in the same summer that Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Parc des Princes contract expires.

It's been frequently documented that Ibrahimovic's presence is an obstacle for Cavani in seeking PSG's central attacking role, but DiMarzio translator David Amoyal has provided quotes suggesting the South American is happy nonetheless:

Much of Cavani's stay in the French capital has seen him played out wide, and Ibrahimovic's expected exit next summer would finally present him with his chance to occupy the coveted role in the centre of attack.

And despite playing second fiddle to the Swede for much of the past two years, Cavani still boasts one of the most prolific recent strike rates in the French top flight, according to OptaJean:

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has taken to using winger Theo Walcott as his central striker this season, with Olivier Giroud dropping down the order at the Emirates.

Should 34-year-old Ibrahimovic move on as expected in June 2016, it would mean the striking competition in north London could actually look more threatening than what's on offer in Paris.

What's more, PSG's recent hold on Ligue 1 and their more impressive presence in the Champions League, not to mention the French giants' financial sway, make it tough to see what upgrades Arsenal could offer.

The chances of landing Dynamo Kiev's Yarmolenko look far more hopeful, and Italian website Tuttomercatoweb has reported the Gunners are set on making a January surge for his signature (via the Daily Star's Rhys Turrell).

Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are mentioned as potential competition for the winger, along with Barcelona, but it's acknowledged that Serie A outfit Lazio pose the biggest threat.

However, Spanish newspaper AS claimed that Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was in Kiev on Monday to watch Spain's 1-0 win over Ukraine in Euro 2016 qualification with Yarmolenko as a supposed winter target:

The Portuguese will have been pleased by what he saw, too, as the 25-year-old looked like one of his side's more impressive players alongside Sevilla's Yevhen Konoplyanka.

Yarmolenko has long been regarded as being a cut above most of his international team-mates, and the Mirror's Ed Malyon agreed the forward stood out:

Yarmolenko has scored more than 100 goals in almost 300 appearances for Dynamo Kiev since moving to the nation's capital in 2007, but now could be his time to make the move to one of Europe's elite divisions.

With Walcott moving into the central hub, space has been freed up out wide for another creative asset to jostle with the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Efrem Lukatsky/Associated Press

Aaron Ramsey has seen his impact limited by being shifted into a wide role on occasion, and Yarmolenko would make for a much more natural fit on the wing.

There's no mention as of yet regarding how much Dynamo's prized star would cost, but any desire from the player to join one of England's elite could see the Ukrainian titans forced into considering a sale.