Arsenal are reportedly considering hijacking Real Madrid and Manchester United's moves for Brazilian midfield prodigy Lucas Silva.
The 21-year-old, who plays for Cruzeiro, is one of the most promising talents to have come out of South America of late, and has been dubbed "the new Kaka", after his impressive performances in the Brasileirao in the last couple of years.
Real are understood to be interested in Silva but, according to The Sun, the Gunners are now secretly confident of beating the Spanish giants to the highly rate youngster's signature.
Cruzeiro are understood to be open to letting Silva leave in January, if an offer of a substantial sum is tabled by any of the player's potential suitors. The report suggests the Brazilian outfit values the player at £12m.
United have also been keeping tabs on the midfielder, and the player's representative had recently revealed that there has been contact from the Red Devils' camp regarding a possible January move, though an official offer is yet to arrive.
"There aren't many details. I confirm I was contacted by people linked to Manchester United. There are no official bids. We are waiting," agent Luiz Rocha pointed out last week.
Arsenal and United are both in the market for midfielders. Silva, who can operate as a central midfielder or a deep-lying playmaker, has won back-to-back Brasileirao titles with Cruzeiro, and is now understood to be open to a move away from his homeland.
Meanwhile, the Gunners are also reportedly weighing up an approach for Ipswich Town defender Tyrone Mings, if they fail to land Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels in January.
Hummels remains Arsene Wenger's top defensive target but his purported £32m price tag has raised some concerns among the club's chiefs, especially with the Germany international struggling with several injures-related issues in the last two years.
Hence, Arsenal have also been looking at alternate targets and, according to the Daily Mail, the north London side are now sizing up an £8m bid for Mings.
The 21-year-old, who came through the youth ranks of Southampton - like Theo Walcott, Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain and Calum Chambers, can play in central defence or at left-back, and has impressed with his performances in the Championship this season.
