Arsenal Transfer News: Mario Mandzukic Interest Reported, Latest Gunners Rumours

Arsenal are reportedly preparing to try to "lure" Mario Mandzukic from Juventus to the Emirates Stadium after the Croatian could've fallen down the pecking order at the Old Lady following their £75 million purchase of Gonzalo Higuain.

According to GazzettaWorld's Archie Vaughan Williams, Arsenal could snap up Mandzukic for €20 million (£16.9 million) if they could tempt him into forcing a move away from Juve.

Per Williams, West Ham United and Watford are also interested in the 30-year-old striker, but Juventus still want to keep him.

Indeed, football journalist David Amoyal believes it is unlikely Juve will be prepared to let Mandzukic go this summer, with Simone Zaza much more likely to move following Higuain's arrival:

However, it seems possible Mandzukic could agitate for a move away from the Serie A champions given he has likely dropped behind Higuain and Paulo Dybala in manager Massimiliano Allegri's plans.

Conversely, should he move to Arsenal, he could well become the No. 1 option up front given Olivier Giroud's frustratingly inconsistent performances.

Arsenal need a new striker, with Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe previously suggesting Alvaro Morata could provide the attributes lacking in the Gunners squad:

The north London outfit recently had a €35 million (£29.3 million) bid rejected for Olympique Lyonnais striker Alexandre Lacazette and would likely have to break the bank to sign the Frenchman, per French football writer Matt Spiro:

Given Arsenal and manager Arsene Wenger are not prone to splashing big money, though, Mandzukic may be seen as a good alternative option given his relatively low value. 

He has proved an effective striker at Juve, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich, although he is not a wildly prolific goalscorer, having never netted more than 18 times in a league campaign, per WhoScored.com.

Much of the criticism aimed at Giroud is he does not score enough—he has never returned more than 16 goals in a Premier League season—and adding Mandzukic to the squad may not solve the Gunners' problem in front of the net.

However, if Arsenal are eager to sign him, they could tempt him into moving to the Emirates given he would likely be afforded more first-team football than he might get at Juve while still playing in the UEFA Champions League.