Arsenal could be set to face a transfer battle with Inter Milan over a Bundesliga forward as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen his squad in January.

What’s the news?

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter Milan have now joined the chase for Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram ahead of the January transfer window.

The Frenchman will be free to talk to other clubs next month after refusing to sign an extension to his current contract, and Sport Bild have claimed the player could be available for around £10m.

Arteta will now need to act fast in order to secure his signature, especially with Inter eyeing up a potential move of their own.

He’s an Eddie Nketiah upgrade

The Spaniard will surely need to bring in another forward in January to replace Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian ruled out for around three months having suffered a knee injury at the World Cup in Qatar.

This has left a massive gap to be filled and Arteta has had to result to utilising the talents of Nketiah to lead the Arsenal attack.

The 23-year-old started against West Ham United on Boxing Day and scored his first Premier League goal of the season, however, it’s clear that the manager requires someone with a bit more experience heading into 2023 and Thuram could be a massive upgrade.

The Frenchman has had a stellar season so far in Germany, scoring 13 goals and registering four assists across all competitions, proving that he can excel at the highest level. His Bundesliga performances in particular have been excellent.

The 25-year-old has an average Sofascore rating of 7.19/10 across 15 appearances while finding the net on ten occasions. He also made 0.9 key passes per match while creating a further three big chances, suggesting that he offers more than just goals and this could be another bonus for Arteta.

Indeed, his all-round ability could lead to the player shining in England, with the Gladbach star ranking in the top 15% across Europe’s big five leagues for total shots, non-penalty goals, dribbles completed, touches in the opposition penalty box, and interceptions.

It’s no wonder he was dubbed “world-class” by Wolfsburg sporting director Marcel Schäfer in the past and if Arsenal are serious about maintaining this title challenge, they will need some quality to spearhead their attack during the second half of the campaign.