Arsenal are in serious need of a striker in the January transfer window after losing Gabriel Jesus to an ACL injury, which is expected to rule him out for the remainder of the season.
The Gunners already lacked an out-and-out goal scorer to lead the line, with Kai Havertz the Gunners’ top scorer having netted seven goals in 18 Premier League games.
A clinical forward could be what makes the difference in the second half of the season as Mikel Arteta’s side attempt to close the gap to leaders Liverpool.
Viktor Gyokeres on Arsenal radar
And things could be set to heat up in the final weeks of the transfer window, with L’Equipe reporting that Arsenal could be considering a move for Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres.
The Sweden international has been linked with a host of top clubs having enjoyed a prolific season in Portugal, scoring 21 goals in 17 league games so far this term.
Manchester United, having appointed former Sporting boss Ruben Amorim, are believed to be interested in Gyokeres, who has a reported asking price of €100 million.
L’Equipe claim that fee might not be a deterrent for Arsenal after they splashed a similar fee on Declan Rice. The Gunners are reportedly “no longer reluctant” to meet Sporting’s valuation.
While Gyokeres is considered a realistic target, Arsenal are not expected to move for Newcastle’s Alexander Isak or Lille’s Jonathan David, with their respective clubs unwilling to consider a sale.
L’Equipe add that Arteta is not “indifferent” towards Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo, who has enjoyed a superb season in the Premier League, although the 25-year-old is not a striker in the mould of Gyokeres.
After Arsenal beat Tottenham on Wednesday night, Arteta claimed attempts will be made to strengthen the squad this month. “We are going to try, for sure,” he said on TNT Sports.
“We are actively looking at. I think we have lost two very, very important players, we have 14 players in the squad, and we play every three days. We will try but let’s see who we can get.”
