Arsenal have reportedly registered interest in signing a striker from one of their Premier League rivals this winter.
The Gunners currently have Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus to call upon up front, but both men failed to score on Saturday as Arsenal were beaten 2-0 by Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s men have slipped four points behind early pace-setters Liverpool, and may require more firepower in the final third to end their title drought this season.
With this in mind, they are eyeing up the prospect of adding another No9 to their ranks, and are keen on signing Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran, according to Colombian outlet AS.
Duran, 20, has made a flying start to the season at Villa Park, scoring six goals in all competitions, including spectacular winners against Bayern Munich and Everton.
Mikel Arteta could bring in a new striker to add more firepower after his Arsenal side suffered their first defeat of the season on the weekend
Arsenal are reportedly keen on signing Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran in January
He recently signed a new contract to keep him at Villa until June 2030. However, he has been unable to displace Ollie Watkins as Unai Emery’s first-choice striker, and clubs may feel he could be tempted by a move elsewhere.
It is understood that multiple clubs, including Arsenal and Barcelona, have reached to Villa over Duran’s availability.
As reported by AS, the Midlands club have told interested parties that they will accept ‘no less than’ €90m (£75m) for the Colombian forward.
If Arsenal were to agree to this fee, Duran would be the second-most expensive player in their history, behind the £105m they splashed out on Declan Rice in 2023.
Havertz also arrived in the same summer as Rice, and cost £65m.
Due to the hefty price involved, getting a deal over the line for Duran is unlikely to be easy.
But the forward has previously had his head turned, and appeared to indicate that he wanted to join West Ham over the summer when he made an Irons-shaped gesture on social media.
Kai Havertz (left) and Gabriel Jesus (right) drew blanks as Arsenal lost at Bournemouth
The move failed to materialise, and Duran went on to score against West Ham on the opening day of the season before telling the Villa fans that he was staying put.
He has thrived off the bench in the weeks since, but may want more game time soon, and could feel he has a better chance of achieving this away from Villa if he continues to find himself below Watkins in the pecking order.
