Arsenal now step up talks to sign “complete” £202k-p/w forward in January

Arsenal are now stepping up talks to add an emergency forward to their ranks in January as they look to bolster Mikel Arteta’s options in attack for the second half of the Premier League season, according to a fresh report.

Arsenal in need of goals

A sixth draw of the season laid Arsenal’s goalscoring problems bare for Arteta, as his side could not find a way past Everton in front of a frustrated home crowd. The Gunners managed just 1.22 expected goals and mustered just five shots on target against Sean Dyche’s side, who sit down in 16th place in the Premier League table.

Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz lead the Arsenal goalscoring charts with five apiece. Of clubs across the Premier League, players at 12 different clubs can better that tally already, while Arsenal’s 29 goals scored is only good enough to make them the fifth-highest goalscorers in the division.

It is clear that something needs to change for Arsenal to return to their freescoring form of recent campaigns, despite their excellent record at set-pieces, and reinforcements could be looked at in January in a bid to do so, with summer addition Raheem Sterling yet to have an impact at his new club.

The club have been linked with the likes of Alexander Isak, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko in recent months, but now a fresh report claims that they are eyeing up another temporary solution in a bid to keep their powder dry for the summer.

Arsenal target “complete” striker in January

That is according to TBR Football, who claim that Mikel Arteta’s side have “stepped up” talks to sign Paris Saint Germain striker Randal Kolo Muani on loan in January as they look to find a solution to their striker woes.

Though he only joined the Parisian side in the summer of 2023, things have not worked out for the French international at the Parc des Princes, and Luis Enrique is now willing to let him leave in January, with the 26-year-old left out of the squad in their most recent 2-1 win over Lyon.

He remains a top prospect though, with Kylian Mbappé labelling him “very complete” after one impressive outing for Les Bleus against the Netherlands. Now, he could be Premier League bound, with the report claiming that both Arsenal and Manchester United are showing interest in a loan move after initially turning down the opportunity.

Kolo Muani himself wants to move to England, it is claimed, while PSG are “willing to sanction a loan move with an option to buy in the future”, which could appeal to interested parties given the lack of financial obligation required.

For Arsenal, “the idea of landing Kolo Muani on loan in January does appeal to the club” given Jesus’ struggles with form and fitness in recent seasons, leaving the goalscoring burden largely on the shoulders of Havertz.

It could be a low-risk, high-reward move for the Gunners, though Kolo-Muani’s mammoth £202,000 a week wages may prove a stumbling block to any interested party.