Arsenal and Manchester City Target Unhappy Paraguay Striker - Report

Arsenal and Manchester City are tracking Paraguay international Lucas Barrios. A report by talkSPORT indicates the two are set to reignite their interest in the South American, both of whom were linked to the player last summer, when he was with former Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund.

According to Goal.com, Spanish side Malaga were also interested and had a bid of €10m rejected. And with Argentinian Javier Saviola having left La Rosaleda on a free, an experienced and proven goal scorer would be welcome at the club.

The 28-year-old striker is presently with Chinese Super League club Evergrande Guangzhou but all is not well between the two parties, with Barrios accusing his club of not paying wages. The situation is similar to the one former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba was in, when he was contracted to Shanghai Shenhua.

In a letter on the Chinese club's website, Barrios wrote Guangzhou had not paid him "a substantial amount of the overall remuneration agreed upon in the contract. I will continue my career at another club that is interested in my sports performance".

As a result, the striker has also acknowledged a move to the Premier League was a distinct possibility.

"My agent is going to China to discuss my future with the Guangzhou Evergrande board. I am happy that clubs in Italy, England and Germany are tracking me and I want to play there," he explained.

Barrios made his name after a superb season with Chilean club Colo Colo, when he scored 37 goals in 40 appearances over 2008 and 2009. He signed for Dortmund in 2010 and promptly scored 35 goals in his first 65 games for the club.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are reportedly moving closer to their first marquee signing of the summer - Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain. The Argentina international's father, Jorge Higuain, has confirmed that the Santiago Bernabeu side have given permission for the Emirate club to speak to Higuain.

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney and Liverpool's Luis Suarez remain options but both are likely to be very expensive propositions and with Madrid believed to be interested in the latter, it is unlikely Arsene Wenger can persuade the Uruguay international to remain in England.

City have allowed Argentina's Carlos Tevez to leave, for Serie A champions Juventus, and may be looking for a replacement, although they do still have another Argentinean in Sergio Agüero and Bosnian Edin Dzeko. Pellegrini has also been linked with an £18m bid for Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo.