Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has contacted Andrei Arshavin about the possibility of signing Zenit St Petersburg striker Sardar Azmoun, according to AreaNapoli.it.

The Italian website claims that Arshavin’s position on the transfer committee at Zenit means he will have a say on whether the Iranian international is sold this summer.

In a previous interview, Arshavin has mentioned that he’d advocate selling Azmoun if a bid of €35m (£31m) was made, due to the fact that another forward Aleksandr Kokorin is returning from a loan spell at PFC Sochi.

With Arteta being a former teammate of Arshavin’s, the Gunners may well have an edge over their rivals if they want to secure the forward’s signature when the transfer window opens.

West Ham, AC Milan and Napoli are all said to be targeting Azmoun, who has had a good season in Russia, having scored 14 goals and contributed seven assists in 29 appearances.