Arsenal's hopes of signing Ivan Toney from Brentford in January could depend on offloading some of their fringe players in order to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.
The Gunners have set their sights on the England international, who is out until January as he completes an eight-month ban from the Football Association for betting breaches.
Toney, who has also been linked with Chelsea and Tottenham, is under contract at Brentford until 2025 and is highly rated by the Bees.
Manager Thomas Frank spoke recently of looking forward to welcoming back the 27-year-old to first-team action in 2024, but the player is understood to be keen on a January move.
In an interview on the Diary of a CEO podcast last month, Toney said he was ready to take the next step in his career and revealed an admiration for Arsenal.
"The next club I go to, if I was to move, would be the right club. I've been a Liverpool fan my whole life... but from young, I've liked Arsenal.
"I've liked watching Arsenal and how they play and how passionate their fans are. I'm a Liverpool boy at heart."
The Gunners are thought to be leading the race for his signature, but The Times say the striker has been valued at a prohibitive £80 million by Brentford.
And according to the report, the north London club would need to sell players by the end of June in order to comply with FFP regulations if they did sign the 27-year-old.
Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson are among the players who could be made available to raise funds at the Emirates.
In the meantime, Toney will be watching as Brentford take on Arsenal in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed Aaron Ramsdale's reaction after he was recently dropped and lost his place to summer signing David Raya.
Ramsdale had looked set to return for the derby on Sunday, but Raya started again and has now been preferred in each of the last three matches by Arteta.
And Ramsdale has already been linked with a move away from north London, with Chelsea and Bayern Munich reportedly keen on the England international.
