It seems that Arsenal are on a hunt for a new forward in the January transfer window.

According to a recent report from the Daily Express, the Gunners are keeping an eye on Napoli's Dries Mertens, a 32-year-old forward whose contract is due to expire in the coming summer.

But he doesn't appear to be the only choice for Mikel Arteta as Arsenal have submitted a bid for Paris Saint-Germain's Edinson Cavani, who is also soon to be out-of-contract, according to El Chiringuito (via Metro).

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It's easy to see why the new gaffer would be enticed by both players but who is the better option for the club?

Upon further inspection of their stats, there is a winner and a favourite Arteta should be chasing if he is to incorporate a new forward into his team.

Let's take a look...

Seeing how they are both approaching the end of their contracts and Cavani has only managed to tally 330 minutes in the ongoing Ligue 1 campaign, it makes sense to analyse their respective 2018/19 seasons for a fair comparison.

Back then, both players were extremely prolific in front of goal but the Uruguayan hitman scored 18 goals compared to Mertens' 16. But for all his obvious quality, this is where his supremacy over his 32-year-old counterpart stops.

Napoli's ace is seemingly a better overall player who can contribute to more than just finishing chances.

As a result, he finished the season with 11 assists in Serie A while his rival could only muster five to his name.

Not only that but Mertens averaged two key passes per game as opposed to Cavani's 0.6. In possession of the ball, meanwhile, he proved to be better passer with 79% accuracy compared to 76.3% from Cavani.

Seeing how Arteta's own style of play could revolve around possession-based football - especially since he was under Pep Guardiola's watchful eye for many years - this aspect could be of huge importance to the Spaniard.

And finally, so could the fact that Mertens registered 1.2 unsuccessful touches per game while Cavani had 1.8, further solidifying the Italian's superior composure and security on the ball.

When everything is said and done, Napoli's striker definitely looks like a better option for the Gunners and Arteta should think twice before chasing Paris Saint-Germain's outcast.