Arsenal have stepped up their transfer plans for January and are ‘leading the race’ to sign RB Salzburg forward Noah Okafor, according to reports.
Mikel Arteta is keen on adding another winger to his artillery in the New Year to provide competition, as well as cover, for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, with the Gunners already being strongly linked to Orlando City’s Facundo Torres and Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhaylo Mudryk.
But it has now been reported that Arsenal may have already found an alternative to Torres and Mudryk in January, should they fail to get either through the door, with Salzburg ace Okafor now lined up as the latest target in north London.
According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, the Gunners will rival Leeds United for the signing of Okafor and are even ahead of the Whites in the race to secure the 22-year-old's signature.
This follows on from when both sides were also going head-to-head for PSV Eindhoven’s Cody Gakpo in the summer, with it now looking like Arteta will once again compete with Jesse Marsch for another signing.
Okafor is expected to cost far less than what PSV will want for Gakpo, meaning both Arsenal and Leeds will see this as the perfect opportunity to secure a cheaper alternative to the Netherlands international.
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Okafor’s contract is set to run out in 2024 but following an impressive start to the season, he is unlikely to be short of any potential suitors as he approaches the final 12 months of his current deal in Austria.
The Switzerland international bagged 14 goals and 11 assists in 34 appearances across all competitions last season as Salzburg were crowned Austrian champions and became the nation’s first ever side to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League.
And Okafor has only continued his impressive form into the current campaign, having already recorded nine goals and two assists in his first 20 games, with one of those strikes coming in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in September.
Back in September, Okafor's agent Gianluca di Domenico told Italian radio channel Radio CRC that his client “will be valued between 25 and 30 million”, but with the 22-year-old set to be on show at the World Cup with Switzerland, that price tag could rise even further.
In comparison, Shakhtar chief Carlo Nicolini admitted that Mudryk is valued at around the £80m mark, meaning Okafor is a much cheaper alternative, while he possesses an equally impressive goal contribution record to the Ukrainian this term.
Torres is expected to cost even less than the Swiss international but has no experience of playing at the highest level. Okafor already has three Champions League goals to his name this season and has a much better chance of hitting the ground running.
