Arsenal have reportedly entered the race to sign Memphis Depay as they look to find a replacement for Gabriel Jesus with the Brazilian set to be sidelined for three months with a knee injury.
The Arsenal striker, who has starred for the Gunners since joining them from Manchester City in the summer, felt pain in his knee and was taken off as a precaution on the hour mark during his side’s final group game against Cameroon, where the Selecao ultimately slipped to a 1-0 defeat. He has since undergone surgery and is expected to be sidelined for between two and three months as he recovers, leaving Arsenal short at striker.
As it stands, Eddie Nketiah will lead the line, while both Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe can also fulfil the role. Asked about how it will effect his January transfer plans, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta hinted that the current Premier League leaders could dip into the market to strengthen their options at the top of the pitch.
“I feel like my squad is really good”, he began. “Unfortunately, we’ve had injuries and we will try to see what we can do to be strong. We have players, we have a lot of accompanying players.”
Depay the missing man?
And, as per Spanish sources, the Gunners have joined the race for Blaugrana striker Memphis Depay, with the 28-year-old striker out of contract this summer. Depay has fallen out of favour at Camp Nou, with a mixture of injury and the arrival of Robert Lewandowski restricting him to just 116 La Liga minutes this campaign.
According to Sport, the Catalan giants will look to cash in on the Dutchman this January as they count the cost of yet another season of Europa League football under Xavi, though they will only sanction a permanent deal.
