Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu have been busy in the air as of late, but will soon hope to be busy in the January transfer market as they look set to spend in order to replace striker Gabriel Jesus. The Brazil forward picked up an injury at the World Cup and has since returned to London in order to find out how long he is set to spend on the sidelines.
After he was heartbreakingly ruled out of the rest of the tournament in Qatar, Jesus and his family flew back to the club and he is set to see a knee specialist in London according to the London Evening Standard. There had been reports that the Gunners’ star faces up to three months out, but the club have yet to confirm how long the Brazilian would miss.
If the 25-year-old is set to spend an extended time on the sidelines, it would leave Arteta’s side light in terms of striking options with only Eddie Nketiah as the club’s only other recognised senior striker. Gabriel Martinelli has played centrally in the past, but an ideal situation could see another forward option brought into the squad during January.
Arteta and Edu’s need for a striker could well have been the topic of conversation during a pre-arranged trip to the USA to speak with Stan Kroenke. The owner has backed the Spaniard in recent years, having spent over £100million in the summer, and another £150m the previous year.
The report claims that before Jesus’ injury, Arsenal’s January priority was a wide forward but after meeting with the owner, Arteta and Edu’s plan may since have changed as they look to bring another forward in.
The pair were in the air once again as they then flew to Dubai from Los Angeles to join the squad for their warm-weather training camp ahead of the Premier League’s return after the World Cup.
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Arsenal had strongly been linked with a move for Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk next month, while the Ukrainian club have asked for a fee of £86m for the forward according to The Athletic.
Though the Gunners may look elsewhere, if they were prepared to spend for Mudryk then it is likely that significant funds would be available for a striker should they opt to delay a potential Mudryk signing until the summer.
Cody Gakpo had previously been of interest to Arsenal, though after his World Cup displays the Gunners will face significant competition for his signature including Manchester United, and the Dutchman is likely to cost far more than any fee they may have been quoted in the summer after an impressive Eredivisie campaign with PSV and then three goals in four games in Qatar.
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