2 Years Later: Arsenal Eyeing January Move to Sign Alex Baena

· GiveMeSport

Arsenal are ready to revisit a move for a World Cup-winning forward in January, two years after first showing an interest.

Arsenal are eyeing up a move to bolster their attacking options in the January transfer window, and they're ready to revisit a move for an old target to do so.

The Gunners were heavily linked with a move to strengthen their forward area in the last summer transfer window, and sold Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli as they prepared for a marquee arrival. But Christos Tzolis ended up as the only attacking arrival during the window, with moves for Morgan Rogers and Vini Jr never coming to fruition.

The lack of business has left Mikel Arteta short on options already, with Bukayo Saka also suffering a thigh injury during the 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich, meaning that Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, and Max Dowman are the only winger options in the squad.

The club also looked strongly at a move for Julian Alvarez during the summer window, with the Argentina international desperate to leave Atletico Madrid after Barcelona made a formal offer. But Atleti straight up refused to do business with their Spanish rivals, and Alvarez opted to stay rather than move elsewhere.

Arsenal have now accepted that they need at least one new forward in the squad, and while a move for Alvarez still looks unlikely to occur, his teammate has now emerged as an option for recruitment chiefs.

Alex Baena has established himself as one of the top wingers in Europe over the last 12 months, and he was a key part of the Spain team that lifted the World Cup trophy this past summer. Arsenal were previously keen on a deal in 2024, while Baena was at Villarreal, but he instead opted to join Atleti in a deal worth around £45m.

Now, according to Football Transfers , Arsenal have held talks over reviving that interest and bringing the forward to the Emirates to strengthen their chances of winning back-to-back Premier League titles for the first time in their history.

A deal is not expected to be easy to do, with his contract running until 2030 and Diego Simeone a huge fan of the 25-year-old, but Arsenal have proven that they are willing to spend big for the right player in the past.

Many Arsenal fans and pundits related to the club have been pushing the idea of a marquee signing for the left wing to make Arsenal even stronger, but that isn't the only option.

Most of Mikel Arteta's best signings since taking over at the Emirates have been players who came in with huge potential and have seen that develop into top stars. Baena has shown that he has the quality to star at the highest level, and his technical qualities would mean he would shine at Arsenal too.

The north London side will be able to offer him Champions League football, and likely trophies too, which could convince him to make the switch. But he would also almost certainly be a regular starter, as he would be a major upgrade on the current options, and is someone who could make an immediate impact.

The England star was forced off after just nine minutes, falling to the ground immediately after kicking the ball.

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