Arsenal are reportedly considering a January move for AC Milan winger Samuel Chukwueze as Mikel Arteta eyes cover for injured superstar Bukayo Saka.
Saka will be unavailable for a significant length of time after picking up a hamstring injury. If he requires surgery, as has been suggested, he’ll be out for months, not weeks.
The 23-year-old right-winger is one of Arsenal’s most important players and reports suggest that Mikel Arteta could dip into the transfer market to cover for his absence.
According to Italian outlet MilanLive, Arsenal could offer Jakub Kiwior in a swap deal for Chukwueze, with Milan thought to be interested in the Gunners’ defender.
Kiwior, 24, has struggled for consistent minutes this season and has been heavily linked with a return to Italy, where he made his name playing for Spezia.
Saka, meanwhile, has featured in all but three of Arsenal’s games this season and has notched an impressive nine goals and 13 assists so far.
Arteta will now have to rely upon the likes of Leandro Trossard, Raheem Sterling and Ethan Nwaneri to deputise on the right-wing. The trio are all capable players but whether they’re good enough to help Arsenal mount a title charge remains to be seen. Signing Chukwueze could, therefore, give Arteta another good option to call upon.
READ MORE: Arteta urged to replace Saka with dazzling Arsenal ace after losing one of Prem’s ‘best players’
Arsenal are willing to sell Kiwior next month
Chukwueze signed for Milan from Villarreal in 2023. He hasn’t hit the heights that he did in Spain and has scored just six goals and made four assists in 54 Milan appearances so far.
The Nigerian international has been competing with former Chelsea man Christian Pulisic for a spot in the starting XI and hasn’t always got the nod from Paulo Fonseca.
That brings into question whether Chukwueze is good enough for Arsenal. As a back-up option he could be useful, but he’s not even close to the levels of Saka.
TEAMtalk transfer correspondent Rudy Galetti exclusively revealed last week that AC Milan could sell centre-back Fikayo Tomori in January, amid interest from Newcastle.
It’s therefore plausible that Fonseca’s side are interested in signing Kiwior as a replacement. Arsenal are open to selling him next month, for around the £15million mark.
Whether Arsenal look to sign Chukwueze next months remains to be seen, but it’s likely that they’ll have to offer cash plus Kiwior to convince Milan into a sale.
Arsenal round-up: Sterling decision made / Sevilla star linked
Meanwhile, there has been speculation of late that Arsenal could terminate Sterling’s loan in January after he has failed to make an impact at the Emirates.
However, journalist Fabrizio Romano, Sterling has zero intention of ditching the Gunners part-way through a season in which he strongly believes he can aid their title charge in the coming months.
Romano also stressed Chelsea have no plans to recall Sterling either.
“The intention of the player is not to leave Arsenal in January,” said Romano on his YouTube channel.
“Despite having some problems in the sense of not playing on a regular basis like he was hoping to, Raheem Sterling is still convinced that the second half of the season can be important for him at Arsenal.
“Sterling is not planning to leave Arsenal in January, cutting his loan and returning to Chelsea is not part of the plans.
In other news, Arsenal reportedly hold a key advantage over Barcelona in the pursuit of Sevilla star Lucien Agoume.
According to the latest reports in France, Mikel Arteta and Arsenal ‘really appreciate’ the profile of French midfielder Agoume. The Gunners have been monitoring Agoume’s performances since he joined Sevilla – initially on loan – in January, and have been very impressed by what they have seen.
There is already an open line of communication between Arsenal and Agoume’s agents, ND Sports Management, as they also represent Gunners defender William Saliba.
This might help Arsenal to fend off transfer rivals Barca and win the race for the thriving starlet in either January or summer 2025.
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