Arsenal are eyeing a move for a new striker this summer.
football.london understands Tammy Abraham is admired by Mikel Arteta and the England international is expected to depart Chelsea before deadline day on August 31, especially as Romelu Lukaku is on the verge of completing his return to west London.
Another centre-forward being linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium is that of Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez.
However, there is a massive problem that has been caused by Arsenal's north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who have agreed a deal worth more than 60million euros (£50m) to sign the Argentina international.
Furthermore, football.london understands Martinez is keen on the move to join up with his international teammates Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero but personal terms have not yet been agreed.
That potentially is a boost for Arsenal to agree a fee with Inter and spark a transfer battle with Spurs.
Should this happen, it wouldn't be the first time the two rivals will have gone head-to-head for a player in recent years.
In fact, it happened as recently as the 2019 summer transfer window when William Saliba was linked with a move to both Arsenal and Spurs after catching the eye at Saint-Etienne.
Of course, it was the Gunners who won the race for the central defender who was one of the first signings after Edu was appointed as the club's technical director.
Therefore, if the Brazilian can repeat this £27m transfer trick then Arsenal stand a good chance of winning the race to sign Martinez and holding bragging rights over Spurs again.
With that said, there's a scenario that could see both Arsenal and Spurs miss out on signing Martinez.
The 23-year-old's agent, Alejandro Camano, has responded to speculation regarding his client's future, handing a blow to the north London duo in the process.
"Lautaro is an Inter player and is happy in Italy. The renewal? Lautaro is from Inter, he will never enter into conflict with the club. Never, this is reality," Camano told FCInter1908. "Lautaro Martinez is happy at Inter and in Italy. His decision is to stay. The relationship with Inter is perfect. Lautaro Martinez is calm.
"Yes, it is true that there were offers, but today he is fine and we will sit down to talk about the future.
"As I’ve always told you, Lautaro is happy at Inter!!! May the Inter fans stay calm."
Although, Inter's links to Duvan Zapata and Edin Dzeko may hint at their willingness to cash in on Martinez despite risking fan fury over losing him and Lukaku in the same summer.
Everything depends on the Serie A champions' financial situation and if they will need to make another major sale in order to balance the books.
If it's the latter, then Arsenal could still have a chance to sign Martinez, but they have some significant ground to make up on Spurs if they're to pip their rivals to another transfer deal.
