Arsenal is monitoring Gustavo Varela after his impressive start at Monza, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. Napoli is also interested in the 21-year-old striker and is described as his strongest suitor in Italy.

Varela has scored six goals in six Serie A appearances this season, with another two in the Coppa Italia. He strengthened his growing reputation with two goals and an assist for Jay Robinson in Monza’s 4-0 win over Cagliari on Monday.

Napoli is looking for another option behind Rasmus Hojlund, with Lorenzo Lucca a candidate to leave in January after struggling for goals.

Persuading Monza to sell during the season would be difficult. Varela has quickly become important to its survival hopes, making a summer move easier to envisage than a winter deal that would leave the club searching for a replacement.

Monza signed Varela permanently from Benfica in July and gave him a contract until June 2030. He had spent the previous season on loan at Gil Vicente, scoring six goals in 32 league appearances as the Portuguese club finished sixth.

Benfica still has a role in any future transfer. GianlucaDiMarzio.com reports that the Lisbon club retained the right to match offers for Varela when it agreed to sell him for a fixed fee of just over €2 million.

That agreement also gives Benfica 20% of the profit Monza makes on a future sale. There is no fixed buyback clause, so Benfica would have to match an outside offer if it wanted to bring the forward back. Monza retains full ownership of his registration and controls any decision to sell.

Arsenal has also been linked with Club Brugge striker Nicolo Tresoldi, another young forward attracting attention this autumn. Varela adds a different name to that search, with his rapid progress in Italy drawing interest only a few months after his move from Benfica.