Arsenal are lining up a shock swoop for Manchester United winger Nani, according to reports in the British press.

The Portuguese midfielder has only 18 months remaining on his current deal with United, with talks over a new deal at an impasse.

It is understood, Nani is a little disillusioned with life at Old Trafford after United refused to agree to his demands of a pay rise, and will be open to make a move away from the club if an opportunity arises.

Sir Alex Ferguson has also been left frustrated with the lack of quality shown by the Portuguese international this season, leading to suggestions the United manager will be willing to let the player go in January.

United, however, will hold out for around £20 million ($32 million) for Nani, meaning a move to Arsenal looks unlikely, with Wenger always reluctant to spend big in the transfer market.

Arsene Wenger, however, is under pressure to strengthen his squad considerably when the window opens, and has been given sizeable funds to do so.

The Arsenal manager has already targeted the likes of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Demba Ba and Luis Gustavo, but is keen to bolster his wide positions in case Theo Walcott leaves.

Wenger is also keen on West Ham midfielder Mohamed Diame as well as PSV's Kevin Strootman, although a move for the former has been put on hold after the West Ham midfielder suffered an injury this weekend.

Meanwhile, the Arsenal manager has hailed Lionel Messi's qualities after the Barcelona forward broke Gerd Mueller's 85-goal record in a calendar year.

"With the biggest imagination, I would not have thought somebody would be capable to do that (break the record)," he told the club's official website.

"Congratulations to Messi. He is just mesmerising. What he is doing is unbelievable.

"It looks so easy to score, and we are all tempted to say 'Let's walk on this pitch and score goals,' because it looks so easy when he does it. When you have played football, you know how difficult it is to score one goal.

"To think that one player can score 86 per year, if you think you play nine and a half months, it's nearly 10 goals guaranteed per month. When you start the month, you know this boy will give you 10 goals. It's not bad!"