Arsenal Transfer News: Dominic Solanke Swoop Planned, Raphael Varane Rumours

Arsenal are reportedly planning to make a move for Chelsea youth star Dominic Solanke, who is currently "holding the Blues to ransom" over his new deal at Stamford Bridge. 

According to Toby Gannon in the Sun, the 18-year-old striker—whose current deal has just one year remaining—is demanding £50,000-a-week wages from Chelsea and assurances of more first-team football.

Gannon added that Arsenal are now interested in signing him up and could tempt him away from west London as, while they are not prepared to meet his wage demands, they could offer him a more prominent role in the senior squad.

Solanke has won two FA Youth Cups with Chelsea and was the top goalscorer, netting 12 times, as the Blues won the 2014-15 UEFA Youth League.

He has spent the 2015-16 season on loan at Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem in order to gain more first-team experience—see below for some of the highlights of his stay—and has scored seven Eredivisie goals in 24 appearances, per WhoScored.com:

While Solanke has not done enough so far in his fledgling career to deserve the contract he is reportedly demanding, he has shown enormous potential.

He is an accomplished finisher—an attribute that has been lacking of late in the Gunners attack—and his acceleration can cause opposition defences all kinds of problems.

Given Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's history of bringing through and improving youth players—with the likes of Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and, most recently, Alex Iwobi—Solanke would surely have more first-team opportunities were he to move to the Emirates Stadium.

Chelsea have historically been poor at promoting talented players from their junior ranks.

Despite their recent domination of the FA Youth Cup—they have won four of the last six tournaments—and back-to-back triumphs in the UEFA Youth League, only Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Bertrand Traore have broken into the senior squad this season, making six Premier League starts between them, per WhoScored.

With no club likely to meet his astronomical wage demands, Solanke will surely make a decision on his future based on where he is likely to be given more opportunities.

On recent form, Arsenal are the obvious choice, and he could potentially be a fine addition for the Gunners who need added firepower up front following a season in which Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott have disappointed.

Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images

For Arsenal legend Charlie Nicholas, though, the priority signing for Wenger in the summer should be a centre-back, not a striker, and he has suggested Real Madrid's Raphael Varane as the key target, per Sky Sports:

"

I accept over the last two months that the central striker area has been a massive problem, but there's been a problem from day one and that's at centre-back. [...]

When Arsene Wenger starts planning for next season, if he is there, which I think he will be, I would rather he addressed the defensive issues than bought a striker.

If I had a position to buy right now and a choice between a centre-forward and Raphael Varane, my priority would be Varane. 

"

Varane, 23, is one of the best young defenders in the world and has been recently linked with a move away from the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, with Manchester United a potential destination, per French outlet Le 10 Sport (via Metro).

The France international is currently battling with experienced duo Pepe and Sergio Ramos for a first-team spot at Real and has started only 21 of Los Blancos' 35 Liga games this season, per WhoScored.

If Arsenal could guarantee Varane a starting role he may be tempted by a move to the Emirates.

But with Pepe and Ramos both in their 30s, Real are highly unlikely to let Varane go as he is the ideal player to soon take up a key role in the Madrid back four for the long term.