By Betsefy
Arsenal are reportedly considering a January move to sign Porto forward Mehdi Taremi.
The 30-year-old has enjoyed a prolific start to the 2022-23 campaign, scoring seven goals and creating seven more in just 12 appearances across all competitions so far.
Taremi was linked with a move away from Porto during the summer transfer window, with a number of Premier League clubs among those to be credited with an interest.
Recent reports have suggested that Chelsea are continuing to keep tabs on the Iran international, having sent scouts to watch him this month.
Portuguese outlet A Bola now claims that Arsenal have joined their London rivals in the race for his signature and could try to push through a deal as early as January.
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The report states that Porto would be open to negotiating a deal for the striker, whose contract at the club expires in 2024.
Porto sold Luis Diaz to Liverpool during last summer’s January transfer window and could reportedly be open to striking a similar deal with Arsenal this winter.
However, the Gunners are wary of increased competition for his signature should Taremi enjoy a good World Cup campaign in Qatar.
Taremi’s Iran side will open their campaign against England on November 21, before games against Wales and USA to round off Group B.
The player’s representatives were reportedly reluctant to push for a move during the summer as they felt that it would be better to do so after this winter’s World Cup.
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Arsenal’s summer signing Gabriel Jesus has quickly established himself as Mikel Arteta‘s first-choice striker at the Emirates Stadium, helping the North London outfit to make a strong start to the season.
The Gunners currently sit top of the Premier League table, with Sunday’s 3-2 triumph over Liverpool meaning that they have now won eight of their nine top-flight outings this season.
However, the report claims that Arsenal still have concerns over Jesus’s injury history and are keen to bring in further back-up for the Brazilian.
Arteta has let the likes of Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Folarin Balogun leave the club in recent transfer windows, leaving Eddie Nketiah as the only real centre-forward replacement for Jesus.
