Premier League ¢ England

Arsenal are in the market for a new striker in the January transfer window as they look to close the gap to Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.

Gabriel Jesus has been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and Kai Havertz has struggled in front of goal in recent weeks.

“My answer doesnt change, it remains the same “ we are actively looking in the market to improve the squad, and thats been the same since day one,” Mikel Arteta said.

“It would be naive not to do that because it is always an opportunity to evolve the team and improve the squad, especially with the circumstances. So yes, we are looking and we are trying and lets see what we are able to do.”

Weve taken a look at nine strikers Arsenal have been linked with in recent months as they look to bolster their attacking options in January.

Arsenal have reportedly identified Alexander Isak as their top transfer target but Newcastle United will refuse to sanction his departure in the January transfer window.

The Gunners may now look at a stop-gap solution for the rest of the 2024/25 season before making a move for Isak in the summer.

Ferguson could be available on loan after struggling for consistent game time under Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler.

“We will negotiate what is important for him, what is important for his development, where he can improve the best and then we will make the decision together,” Hurzeler said.

This decision should be what is best for the player and for the club. We sent [Facundo] Buonanotte, for example, to Leicester.

“We know that the Premier League is a very good league to improve, because its tough, its intense, especially for young players. Its the perfect environment to adapt.”

The 20-year-old scored 12 goals in his first 32 Premier League appearances but has since netted just one goal in his last 27 league games.

Despite his recent struggles, Arsenal are reportedly still interested in the striker and a loan move could help him rediscover his best form.

But Arsenal already have Raheem Sterling and Neto on loan and they would have to terminate one of those deals to sign Ferguson on loan.

Arteta is a known admirer of Vlahovic, having previously tried to sign the Serbia international from Fiorentina in January 2022.

Juventus won the race for his signature after forking out an initial £58million, and he has since registered 53 goals and 11 assists in 124 appearances in all competitions.

But the 25-year-old has struggled under new manager Thiago Motta, who prefers link-up strikers over traditional centre-forwards.

Juventus are on the verge of agreeing a loan deal for Paris Saint-Germain forward Randal Kolo Muani and are willing to let Vlahovic leave the club this month.

TEAMtalk understands that Vlahovic is currently Arsenal’s ‘No. 1 striker target for this month and they are considering a bid.

He has less than 18 months left on his contract and Juventus want offers of €65million (£54.7m / $67.1m), although Arsenal will try to negotiate a reduced price.

Since joining RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023, Sesko has established himself as one of Europe’s most exciting young forwards.

The 21-year-old registered 18 goals and two assists in 42 appearances in his debut season and already has 13 goals and three assists in 2024/25.

Arsenal wanted to sign him last summer and were willing to trigger the â‚¬65million (£54.4m / US$71.4m) release clause in his contract last summer.

But the Slovakia international ultimately signed a new deal with the Bundesliga side and the release clause has now been removed.

According to The Athletic, he wants to finish the 2024/25 season at Leipzig but the right proposition from the right club could see that position shift before the end of the January transfer window.

Arsenal remain attentive to his development and TEAMtalk understands they have told his camp they can offer him the best game time.

What a strike from RB Leipzig’s 21-year-old Benjamin Sesko! 🔥

Jurgen Klopp was also in attendance to witness the stunner 👀 pic.twitter.com/tVi6myKNxy

” Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 12, 2025

David has now entered the final six months of his contract at Lille and can now sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club.

But the Ligue 1 side may look to sell the striker in a cut-price deal in January in order to avoid losing him on a free transfer at the end of the season.

His situation has reportedly piqued the interest of some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Arsenal, Tottenham, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Juventus.

The Canada international is currently the joint-top goalscorer in Ligue 1 in 2024/25, having netted 11 goals in 17 league appearances.

He has also impressed in the Champions League group stage this season, scoring against Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus.

Delap left Manchester City and joined Ipswich Town last summer in a deal worth an initial £15million and another £5million on add-ons.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed a brilliant start to his career at Portman Road, registering eight goals and two assists in 20 Premier League appearances.

“I have seen him quite a lot this season and I would probably go as far as to say he is the obvious long-term successor to [Harry] Kane,” Danny Murphy said. “I think he is the best young English striker out there.”

His impressive form has unsurprisingly attracted interest from a number of Premier League sides, including Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool.

But the Tractor Boys are likely to demand a substantial amount of money for the England Under-21 international, who has four-and-half-years left on his contract.

How many goals will Liam Delap score for @IpswichTown‘s this season? â¨

The 21-year-old netted twice in the 2-2 draw with Aston Villa! pic.twitter.com/ttYR1CjhPB

” Premier League (@premierleague) October 2, 2024

Gyokeres has been in sensational form since joining Sporting CP from Coventry City in 2023, registering 75 goals and 21 assists in 80 appearances in all competitions.

He is currently the most sought-after striker in Europe and has been heavily linked with Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Sporting CP want to keep the 26-year-old until the end of the season and will reportedly listen to offers of around â‚¬75million (£63.2m / $77.3m) in the summer.

But if Arsenal want to be really ambitious, they can bring him to the Emirates in the January transfer window by triggering the €100million (£84.3m / $110.7m) release clause in his contract.

Osimhen scored 76 goals in 133 appearances for Napoli and played an integral role in their Serie A title win in the 2022/23 season.

After failing to secure a permanent move away from the club last summer, he joined Turkish side Galatasaray on a season-long loan deal.

The 26-year-old has registered 19 direct goal contributions in 17 appearances in all competitions this season, including two goals in a 3-2 win over Tottenham in the Europa League.

His loan deal contains a break clause that would allow him to join Arsenal if they come in for him in the January transfer window, and he also has a â‚¬75million (£62.4m /$78.1m) release clause in his Napoli contract.

𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐧 👊

𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑 𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐌𝐇𝐄𝐍 💥 pic.twitter.com/ZMKUBjm5dO

” Galatasaray SK (@GalatasaraySK) November 9, 2024

Gimenez was heavily linked with a move to Nottingham Forest last summer, but he rejected their approach and stayed at Feyenoord.

The striker has since scored 13 goals in 16 appearances in all competitions in 2024/25, including a strike in their 3-3 draw with Manchester City in the Champions League.

According to reports in Mexico, Arsenal, Fulham and AC Milan have now expressed their interest in the 23-year-old.

“I think there was already some monitoring by some teams about Santiago, but I don’t really know if he’s going to come, but there is monitoring,” his dad said.

Santi has been at the club for two and a half years, the club is open to listening to if there is an offer, but well, we have to stay calm.

The market is going to move a little, hopefully it can happen, if not, Santi is very happy at Feyenoord, but yes, the idea is that he can leave.

Having spent four years at Shabab Al Ahli in the United Arab Emirates, Jesus joined Botafogo in the summer and has now shot to prominence.

The 23-year-old has registered eight goals and five assists in 31 appearances, helping the club win the Copa Libertadores and the Brazilian Serie A title.

He also scored on his senior debut for Brazil in October and is now being linked with a number of Premier League clubs, including Arsenal.

The striker has a €100million (£83m / $103m) release clause in his contract, but €20million (£16.6m/ €20.6m) would reportedly be enough to sign him this month.

A move to Arsenal would make him the fourth Brazil international at the Emirates after Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes.

READ MORE: The 10 most expensive Arsenal transfers of all time, including five Mikel Arteta signings