Arsenal have set their sights on Bournemouth's Jaidon Anthony as they continue their January recruitment drive.
The Gunners have opened up a strong lead at the top of the Premier League but are keen to push on in the second-half of the season. Mikel Arteta has largely used a small cluster of players throughout the campaign and there is a need to add depth to his squad.
Anthony is out of contract on the south coast in the summer, which may force the Cherries into selling up. Talks of an extension have failed to progress and Arsenal could look to move for a player who was previously in their academy through his teens.
The Bournemouth man has struggled for game time, despite scoring three times, and could return to the city of his birth. The 23-year-old played alongside the likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe in the academy and is seen as a good long-term addition, according to the Daily Mail..
Leicester and German clubs Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen are all tracking Anthony and could offer competition. They may also be able to offer more minutes than the Gunners, who have had a settled front three this season.
Back in October Anthony was quizzed on his omission and said: “The manager has to pick a team at the end of the day, and someone is going to have to be on the bench. At the moment, I’m not starting, but I’m sure one day that will change and I’ll be helping the team as much as possible.
"That’s all I focus on. We’ve been speaking since last season, but I don’t really focus on it. Football, football, football. We’ll see what happens.”
Will Arsenal win the Premier League title? Have your say in the comments!
Arteta has looked to add more options with a deal close for Brighton's Leandro Trossard. The Belgian has fallen out with Roberto De Zerbi and is looking to leave the Amex Stadium with the Gunners pushing towards a move worth an initial £20m.
Arsenal recently missed out on Mykhaylo Mudryk, who had been their main target throughout January. Shakhtar Donetsk eventually struck a deal with Chelsea, who were prepared to pay their hefty asking price, which leaves the Gunners reviewing their other options.
They are also on the verge of signing Spezia defender Jakub Kiwior in a deal worth around £21.9m.
Arteta said on their approach in the transfer market: "We have excellent players. We want to improve our squad in this transfer window and when I say we, myself, the coaching staff, the staff, the players, the board, and ownership. We are all in this together, but we will do the deals that we can do and that we believe is right for the football club."
