Arsenal have been offered the opportunity to sign former Schalke striker Ciprian Marica, as revealed by his agent.

Arsene Wenger has been looking to strengthen his strike force ever since the end of last season, and has been linked with various strikers all over Europe. With the departure of Robin van Persie to Manchester United, the responsibility to get the goals rested on Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski, both of whom have upped their game in order to get the goals required. Olivier Giroud struggled to find his best form in his first season in the Barclays Premier League, and adding a striker to the squad will increase competition for places. Gervinho has sealed his move to AS Roma, while Nicklas Bendtner is also looking to move out of the club.

Wenger had been linked with former Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain and we all know what happened there.

Another striker who was closely linked to Arsenal was former Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic, who was a target for multiple clubs all over Europe. A fee in the region of £25 million was agreed between Manchester City and Fiorentina. City offered better terms to the striker, who turned down a move to London.

With less than a month to go before the transfer window shuts, Wenger will have to push the board to crack a deal before it becomes too late. The Gunners have not yet signed a high-profile player this summer, but have also not lost any of their existing players.

Marica began his career at Dinamo Bucaresti as a youth player. After a short stint as a professional for the club, he had spells at Shakhtar Donetsk, Stuttgart and finally Schalke. However, he has not been able to settle into the first team of any of these clubs.

According to Daily Mail, Marica’s agent confirmed, “He is close to Arsenal, we’ll see this week. Marica is a very good striker, a Romanian national player who has great experience.”