Mikel Arteta tells Stan Kroenke which Premier League number nine he wants Arsenal to sign

Jhon Duran is quickly becoming as one of the Premier League’s most exciting prospects.

The 20-year-old faced an uncertain future at Aston Villa in the summer after the Premier League’s rules on Profit and Sustainability (PSR) almost forced the club into selling the striker.

Despite coming close to joining West Ham, as well as being heavily linked with Chelsea, Duran remained at Villa Park — much to the fans’, and Unai Emery’s, delight.

The South American has started the season in blistering form.

Despite failing to start in any of Villa’s first nine matches, the young hitman already has six goals to his name, including a game-winning strike against Bayern Munich in the Champions League earlier this week.

Mikel Arteta wants Arsenal to sign Jhon Duran

In superb form and making headlines on what feels like a weekly basis, Duran remains one of the Premier League’s hottest tickets, and according to Fichajes, the latest club to join the hunt for his signature is Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta is a huge fan of Villa’s number nine and views him as the Gunners’ solution to their own striking problems — which is why the Spaniard wants owner Stan Kroenke to go all out to sign the Colombian in a deal that could be worth up to £60 million.

Even though Arsenal signed Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City, the Brazilian’s problems with injuries has seen Kai Havertz tasked with playing as a striker — a position the German wasn’t best known for while at Chelsea — so it’s understandable why Arteta is so keen to sign another outright forward… And Duran fits the bill.

Young, pacey, technically gifted and incredibly clinical in front of goal, the 20-year-old has the potential to become a leading forward for years to come, and Arteta would prefer it if he did so in London, as opposed to the Midlands.

Since making his Aston Villa debut 18 months ago, Duran, who has three-and-a-half years left on his contract, has scored 14 goals in 58 appearances in all competitions.

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