Arsenal lining up £25m move for Mario Mandzukic after suffering Edinson Cavani blo

ARSENE WENGER will step up his efforts to land Mario Mandzukic from Atletico Madrid in January after ruling out a move for Edinson Cavani.

Cavani is thought to be on his way out of Paris Saint-Germain after skipping the club's mid-winter training camp in Morocco.

And while Arsenal are thought to be interested in the Uruguayan star, Wenger believes a move will be too costly this month.

Instead, the French tactician will move for Mandzukic who could be available on a cut-price deal after Fernando Torres returned to his boyhood club.

Arsenal are keen on Mario Mandzukic

Manchester City were also believed to be keen on Mandzukic but have opted for Swansea's Wilfried Bony instead.

And while Atletico would still like £25m to let the Croatian striker leave, the Spanish outfit's bargaining power has been somewhat weakened by a lack of competition for Mandzukic's signature.

Arsenal's priority continues to be a defender and a defensive midfielder this month, but with Yaya Sanogo set to join Lukas Podolski in leaving the Emirates on loan, it seems a move for Mandzukic could also be on the cards.