Arsenal eyeing on Getafe striker Ciprian Marica in January as an alternative, should they fail to land Karim Benzema from Real Madrid, or Christian Benteke from Aston Villa.

London rivals Tottenham Hotspur were initially reported to be on pole position to acquire the services of the Romanian international, but the Gunners are said to have taken their interest a notch higher, overtaking Tottenham in the process.

Compared to Benzema and Benteke, Marica will come in on a cheaper price tag, but without sacrificing quality and experience.

He has been featuring regularly for the Romania men's team since 2003, earning 66 call-ups, and has already played Champions League football when he was with Shakhtar Donetsk, VfB Stuttgart, and Schalke 04.

Theo Walcott has returned to action after going down with an abdominal injury, while German striker Lukas Podolski's return is imminent.

With all of his options in the attacking-third bound to regain match fitness, Arsene Wenger will logically look for a player who can serve as a decent replacement, should any of them experience an untoward incident again.

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