Rumour: Arsenal, Tottenham and Valencia to battle it out for Dzeko; Dortmund and Inter also interested

5 clubs in for him!

Manchester City striekr Edin Dzeko has rarely been first-choice at the Etihad Stadium since his arrival from Wolfburg on a £27 million move in January 2011 and barely gets a look-in to lead the line for the Citizens under new boss Manuel Pellegrini.

Reports suggest, Arsene Wenger is keen on bringing another frontman to the Emirates this January to easae the burden on Olivier Giroud and keep their position at the top of the League. Wenger is weighing up a move for the Bosnian in winter, but faces competition from bitter rivals Tottenham and Spanish club Valencia.

Spurs have held a long-term interest in the City forward and may look to take him on loan until the end of the season to solve their goal-scoring problems at White Hart Lane. Summer signing Roberto Soldado has failed to live up to his £26 million price tag and although Tim Sherwood will be given money to spend this winter, the new Spurs boss will only have limited funds for new players. Sherwood has also been linked with a move for Lyon frontman Bafetimbi Gomis, who is certain to leave the Ligue 1 outfit when the market re-opens in January.

Valencia are ready to join the race for Dzeko should Singaporean businessman Peter Lim’s takeover of the Spanish side be successful. Regular first-team football will appeal to Dzeko after he helped guide Bosnia to the World Cup qualification for the finals in Brazil this summer.

The Spanish club are understood to be in discussions with regards to a takeover by Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim, who will make it his priority to secure Champions League football for Valencia next season. Valencia, currently 11th in La Liga but if the proposed buyout was to go through, Lim would be prepared to make around £40million available to manager Juan Antonio Pizzi in January, who has just been installed as head coach after winning Argentina’s first division with San Lorenzo

Marca reports that Bosnian frontman Dzeko has been identified as the club’s leading target, as they look for the firepower that would bolster their European hopes. Dzeko has started just six Premier League games this season for Manchester City and just three since August, with the outstanding form of Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo often keeping the 27-year-old on the substitutes’ bench.

City will be reluctant to lose the striker in the January transfer window, with Aguero ruled out for up to six more weeks with a calf problem, while Stevan Jovetic has been blighted by a series of injuries since arriving from Fiorentina for £22m.

The trio will face competition from Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund, who are thought to be considering a £15m bid as they hunt a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, who is expected to move to Bayern Munich upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the season.