Arsenal’s pursuit of a top striker has been continuing ever since the summer transfer window. The Gunners let Gabriel Jesus depart to FC Barcelona, leaving their depth in that position particularly thin. Although they have a big-money signing like Viktor Gyokeres in their ranks, the player’s performance has been far from the standard that was expected of him.
In the current season, Mikel Arteta has shown most of his confidence in Kai Havertz, who has been deployed as a false nine most of the time. Arsenal also failed to get hold of the players they targeted in the summer transfer window. Julian Alvarez rejected the Gunners’ proposal to play at the Emirates.
Meanwhile, they also failed to land Vinicius Jr. and Morgan Rogers, who were the primary targets for the club. This is where the team’s depleting depth has scarred them even more this season. Although Arteta’s team has banked on their defensive stability, their attacking prowess isn’t the most convincing.
As a result, Arteta’s side is still in the market for a dynamic forward who can lead the team’s front line. Reports from BBC Sport journalist Alex Howell state that the Gunners are interested in Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane, a 19-year-old teenager who even played against Arsenal last season in the UEFA Champions League.
Kofane moved to Leverkusen from Albacete last season for a reported amount of £4.3m. Since then, he has enjoyed a successful patch with the German club. Although Kofane hasn’t been an undisputed starter for the club so far, his numbers are quite impressive for a teenager.
So far in his Bayer Leverkusen career, Kofane has already scored 10 goals and assisted 9 times. Despite being in the early chapters of his senior career, Kofane has showcased immense poise within the box. He possesses a natural goal-scoring ability along with his gifted physicality, making him a perfect candidate in front of the goal.
These qualities make Kofane a perfect option for Arteta’s side, where he can fit perfectly into a dominant No.9 alongside Bukayo Saka on the wings. Arsenal’s sporting director Andrea Berta has been quite interested in the player for a long time now. The club even expressed its desire to sign the player last summer.
Kofane’s agent Eric Depolo revealed the Gunners’ interest in the player back in April. “Arsenal’s interest is serious. With Kofane, Arsenal would have a top striker for the next ten years,” Depolo had said.
However, it’s important to understand that Kofane’s contract with Leverkusen runs till the 2029 season. The German club is pushing the player to sign another extension till 2031, but the player seems to be reluctant in this regard.
Kofane has expressed interest in playing in the Premier League somewhere at a point in his career, which is another positive for the Gunners.
Christian Kofane is currently out with a hamstring injury and hasn’t featured for Leverkusen since September. His recovery has been going quite well, and he has also returned to first-team training. This suggests that Kofane could even return to the playing eleven within the next few games for Leverkusen.
