Arsenal hunt for £40m striker ‘shot down’ as Mikel Arteta faces major ‘struggle’

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Arsenal look unlikely to secure the services of Borja Mayoral this month. 

Arsenal were reported to have recently tabled a £22 million bid for Borja Mayoral. However, Getafe are said to have knocked back that offer for the striker, with the La Liga outfit holding out for a fee in the region of £40 million.

Since then, though, the player himself has spoken out publicly about the north London club’s apparent interest in securing his services. Mayoral has insisted that no news of a genuine approach from the Gunners has reached his ears, suggesting that Arsenal’s first bid probably never actually materialised in the first place. 

Stories of the bid could well have been fabricated by the player’s representatives in an effort to garner some additional bargaining power on behalf of their client. After all, Mayoral has been in fine form so far this season, and may well be keen to see his contribution rewarded with a new contract. Fear that he may soon be prised away from the club if they don’t act could prompt Getafe into offering the 26-year-old some fresh new terms. 

That being said, Mikel Arteta is desperate to add a new striker to his ranks. According to transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are keen to bring a new goalscorer and a left-back to the Emirates Stadium in the current January transfer window. 

With both Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah struggling to score consistently this season, the Gunners could do with a more prolific presence spearheading their attack. However, a lack of available funds could make sourcing such a player impossible for them this month. 

Arsenal unable to sign Borja Mayoral, or perhaps anyone this month

According to journalist Dean Jones, as quoted by GiveMeSport, Arsenal’s current spending power is severely limited, which crippled any chance they might have otherwise had of bringing Mayoral to north London. 

Jones said, “the links to Mayoral are being shot down from every angle, and that’s not a major surprise to me because even at £22m, I think he might be out of reach as things stand. There seems to be a struggle for people to fully grasp that Arsenal don’t have the resources to make bids for players like this, but it is the case. I’m not ruling out the idea of any business this month, but they have very little wiggle room financially, and there is no negotiation around signing Mayoral.”

There are gaps in the existing Arsenal squad. Injuries have depleted Arteta’s defensive options, his attacking contingent is lacking firepower, and the midfield unit is ageing, with Thomas Partey, Jorginho, and Mohamed Elneny all coming towards the end of their playing careers.

The fact that Arteta does not have the budget required to address these issues is a real problem. Whilst the loan market may offer some small assistance this month, the truth is that the Spanish coach has to focus on getting more out of the players he already has and hope that an injury crisis does not strike in the second half of the campaign.