Arsenal are currently trying to sign Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins and could face a boost in their pursuit of him. 

The Gunners saw a £60m bid for Watkins rejected by Aston Villa, as they finally made their move to sign a striker following Gabriel Jesus‘ ACL injury earlier in January.

However, they were expected to come back in with another bid for the England international, but Aston Villa then sold striker Jhon Duran to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.

Following Duran’s sale, it looked almost impossible for the Gunners to land Watkins as Villa would be reluctant to sell both of their star strikers in the same transfer window, especially if they didn’t have a replacement lined up.

However, now Arsenal have received a boost as they aim to sign Watkins due to a recent report involving Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford. According to Sky Sports, Villa made a loan enquiry for Rashford, meaning that they could have their Watkins replacement lined up.

Rashford looks set to leave Old Trafford this month as he has been dropped by United boss Ruben Amorim. If he was to move to Aston Villa, it could give Arsenal the green light to come back with an improved bid for Watkins.

Which striker could Arsenal sign before transfer deadline day?

Arsenal have been linked to several top strikers during the January transfer window, including Watkins in recent days. They have also been linked with RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, who they reportedly had a bid lined up for last week.

The Gunners had been linked with Marcus Rashford earlier in the window too, but it seems that any move for the United attacker looks unlikely, especially considering the recent links to Villa.

Arsenal had also been previously linked to the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney in the summer transfer window, but any move before the January deadline looks unlikely for the trio.

If Villa are to sign Rashford from United, it would open the door for Mikel Arteta to go after Ollie Watkins, who has been an Arsenal fan his whole life – he could join his boyhood club.