Arsenal Face Major Blow In Pursuit Of £60M-Rated Premier League Striker

Arsenal have received a major blow in their pursuit of Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, after they saw a £60m bid rejected on Wednesday night. 

The Gunners placed a bid to sign Watkins before Aston Villa played a crucial Champions League match against Celtic, in which Watkins missed a penalty.


Mikel Arteta wants to sign a striker before the end of the January transfer window, due to the injury to Gabriel Jesus, which is set to keep him out for the remainder of the season.

Arsenal are currently second in the Premier League table, six points and a game in hand behind leaders Liverpool, and could do with reinforcements in order to keep pace in the title race.

After their bid for Watkins was rejected, news emerged linking fellow Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran over a move to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr, and he is now set to undergo a medical.

According to BBC Sport, Duran is close to completing a move to the Saudi side, with a reported fee of £65m for the striker. He was previously linked over a move to West Ham, and Arsenal.

Jhon Duran transfer could halt any Watkins deal

The bad news for the Gunners is that it would seem very unlikely that Villa would sell both of their star strikers in the same transfer window, unless they had an obvious replacement lined up.

Duran and Watkins were battling for the striker position in Unai Emery’s first team, so it is not bad for Villa that one of them leaves, but it would be a shock if both were to move on.

That means that any hope of Arsenal signing Watkins has likely been scuppered by the fact that Duran to Al Nassr looks to be an imminent transfer move. The striker frustrations for Arteta continue.

Who could Arsenal sign instead of Ollie Watkins

The Gunners may now have to look at other targets late on in the transfer window. Bayern Munich striker Mathys Tel has been linked to Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea in recent days, and so the Gunners could turn their attention to him.

Tel looks set to leave the Allianz Arena this month, as he appeared to say goodbye to the Bayern fans after their 3-1 Champions League win against Slovan Bratislava on Wednesday night.

The 19-year-old has made just 14 appearances for Vincent Kompay’s side this season, due to the fact that he is in competition with Harry Kane for the striker spot in his XI.

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