Arsenal have rebuffed a move from Brentford for striker Eddie Nketiah as the January transfer window draws closer and closer.
Arsenal are being linked with a host of potential striker signings to boost their Premier League title hopes this season.
A clinical striker could really help Mikel Arteta claim top spot but somebody may need to leave in order for a big addition to arrive.
Gabriel Jesus won’t be leaving any time soon and it sounds like Arteta doesn’t want to let Eddie Nketiah leave the club…
Arsenal reject Brentford approach for Eddie Nketiah
The Daily Mail report that striker Nketiah is attracting major interest ahead of the January window.
It’s claimed that Arsenal have already rejected one approach from an unnamed Premier League club.
It was unclear just who had made the call for Nketiah but TEAMtalk state that it was London rivals Brentford.
The Bees allegedly have a ‘long-term interest’ in Nketiah and were looking to finally snap him up in January.
TEAMtalk suggest that Arteta is a ‘big fan’ though and has blocked any idea of Nketiah leaving the club.
Nketiah has scored five goals in 16 Premier League games this season, but three of them came in one game against struggling Sheffield United.
There are still major doubts about Nketiah as a top-level striker but Arteta seemingly still has belief in him at Arsenal.
Arteta recently praised Nketiah as ‘incredible’ due to his mentality and news of him wanting to keep the striker maybe shouldn’t be a surprise.
What about an Ivan Toney swap deal?
The natural thought process after seeing that Brentford want Nketiah is to wonder about a swap deal involving Ivan Toney.
Fabrizio Romano reported in September that Arsenal had already asked about a January deal for Brentford hitman Toney.
Additional reports in November stated that Toney preferred a move to Arsenal over Chelsea.
Arsenal would have to dig deep to sign Toney though, with Brentford in no mood to lose their star striker – especially as he returns from a ban in January.
Sending cash plus Nketiah for Toney may work out fairly well for both parties, and guaranteeing the arrival of a proven Premier League striker may be the only way Arteta can be tempted to part with Nketiah.
Swap deals are tricky though; there is a reason why we don’t see many of them.
If an Nketiah for Toney exchange doesn’t materialise, it’s hard to imagine either of them making these moves in January.
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