Arsenal Linked with Getafe Striker Borja Mayoral in Quest for New Forward

Arsenal are rumoured to be interested in signing Getafe striker Borja Mayoral in the January transfer window. The Gunners are in desperate need of a clinical forward to join Mikel Arteta‘s squad as they continue their Premier League title challenge. Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah have struggled to find the back of the net, while the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, and Martin Odegaard have all failed to take their chances in recent weeks.

Asked whether a new striker could be signed in January, Arteta told Football London: ‘At the moment it does not look realistic. What my job is, and what we have to do is improve our players and try to get better results with the players we have. One thing is what we need and another is what we can do. What we need to do now is stick behind those players, give them some love, train them and make sure they visualize something very different to what is actually happening now. They’ve done it. We’re not going to reinvent the wheel, because they’ve done it.’

After being linked with a move to sign Brentford star Ivan Toney, the Gunners have now reportedly switched their focus to signing Mayoral this month. The Spanish striker has scored 14 goals in just 22 appearances and could be available for as little as £22 million. It has been reported by football.london that Arsenal tabled an offer of £22 million for Getafe’s star striker. The La Liga club is said to have rejected the Gunners’ opening bid as they value the forward in the region of £39 million (€45 million).

Mayoral, 26, is a product of Real Madrid‘s youth academy and spent time on loan at Roma and Wolfsburg, among others, before signing for Getafe on a permanent basis last season. Mayoral represented Spain up to under-21 level, earning 48 caps and scoring 29 goals. He was the top scorer as the under-19 team won the 2015 European Championship and was a runner-up in 2017 and a winner in 2019 with the under-21 team.

The 26-year-old Mayoral is currently enjoying the best form of his career, having scored half of Getafe’s goals in La Liga this season. The Spanish outfit is challenging for a European qualification spot this season after finishing down in 15th place last season. Mayoral has been at the heart of Getafe’s rise this term, averaging a goal every 118 minutes in all competitions.

Standing at 6ft tall, Mayoral is a strong presence in the air, having already scored four headers in the 2023/24 campaign. The Spaniard is also capable of playing on the wing, which could be a strong appeal for Arsenal, who like to play with a fluid attack. Mayoral is a confident finisher with a good amount of pace and strength to handle himself against physical defenders. He has proven his clinical finishing in La Liga this season and would be a low-risk signing with the potential to return huge rewards.