Arsenal prepare bid to beat Real Madrid and sign 'the next Erling Haaland' - Reports

Arsenal are preparing a major offer to beat Real Madrid in the race for Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund, as per Italian outlet La Repubblica (h/t Metro).

The 20-year-old has been dubbed the 'next Erling Haaland' due to the likeness in their playing styles. In that regard, it also helps that the two strikers are above 1.90 meters in height, hail from Nordic countries, and have a surname that sounds a bit similar.

Real Madrid admire the Denmark U21 international and could consider him a long-term replacement for Karim Benzema. The 35-year-old is currently on a contract that expires this summer.

Even if he does decide to renew his deal, Real Madrid would be wise to consider signing a young forward who could potentially become his successor. Currently, they don't have a natural No. 9 who can slot in for Benzema in the starting XI.

Arsenal, meanwhile, could be considering Hojlund to add depth to the centre-forward position. Manager Mikel Arteta's current options in that position include Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah.

Arsenal have also been linked with a move to sign 17-year-old Athletico Paranaense striker Vitor Roque. Barcelona are also chasing the Brazilian, who comes in with a €40 million price tag.

It remains to be seen what price tag Atalanta will place on Hojlund if they want to sell him. They signed him for €17 million from Sturm Graz last summer. Since then, the youngster has scored seven times in 21 games across competitions.

He is slowly beginning to displace Luis Muriel and Duvan Zapata in La Dea's first XI, which shows the amount of trust manager Gian Piero Gasperini has in him.

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Atalanta boss has already compared Arsenal and Real Madrid target to Erling Haaland

Meanwhile, Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini has claimed that Arsenal and Real Madrid target Rasmus Hojlund shares characteristics similar to Manchester City's Erling Haaland.

The Norway international is only 22 years old but has already made himself one of the world's best strikers. He has scored 32 goals in 31 games across competitions this season for the Cityzens.

Speaking to reporters earlier this month, Gasperini opined, via the aforementioned source:

"Hojlund has this spirit, energy, intensity, but also technical quality that is just remarkable. He still has so much margin for improvement, too. He has very similar characteristics to Haaland, not just his face.

"He is so quick, he’s under 11 seconds over 100 metres and that’s not even trying very hard. Considering his height, he has a low centre of gravity and can move his legs very fast. I am convinced he’ll have a great career, he just gets stronger every day."