Borja Mayoral responds to Arsenal interest as Gunners eye Ivan Toney alternative
Borja Mayoral insists he's "very focused on Getafe" amid interest from Arsenal.
It's believed the Gunners are chasing Mayoral's signature after his impressive start to the season. The former Real Madrid forward, 26, has scored 14 goals in 22 games in all competitions while playing alongside exiled Manchester United star Mason Greenwood.
Getafe are claimed to have rejected a £22million bid from Arsenal because they are holding out for £39m. Mikel Arteta wants to bring in a new striker this month with Eddie Nketiah (five goals) and Gabriel Jesus (three) both struggling to shine in the Premier League.
Arsenal's main transfer target was Ivan Toney, but Brentford don't want to sell the £100m-rated 27-year-old. The Bees are just three points above the relegation zone and believe Toney, who scored 20 league goals last season, is the man to fire them to safety.
Brentford are reeling from the loss of fellow forward Bryan Mbeumo, who is nursing a serious ankle injury. They are also without Yoane Wissa after he was selected in the DR Congo's squad for the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations tournament in the Ivory Coast.
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That has forced Arsenal to look elsewhere, with Mayoral now in their sights. Yet the prolific Spaniard isn't getting carried away by the speculation. "It is news that has surprised me too," he told Spanish reporters when asked about rumours of Arsenal's interest.
Mayoral insists he has "not spoken with the club or with my representative" about a switch to the Emirates. He added: "I am very focused on Getafe, on a day-to-day basis."
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Arsenal's lack of a prolific scorer has cost them in recent weeks. They've picked up just one point from their last three Premier League games to slip to fourth in the table, five points behind leaders Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp's side also dumped them out of the FA Cup.
Mayoral graduated from Madrid's academy and played 33 times for the first team to help them win the Champions League in 2018. He completed loan spells Wolfsburg, Levante and Roma before joining Getafe - initially on loan - two years ago.
Only Madrid's Jude Bellingham (13 goals) has scored more than Mayoral (12) in La Liga this season, with Atletico Madrid's Alvaro Morata also finding the net 12 times in Spain's top flight. Mayoral's form has placed Getafe comfortably in the top half of the table.
Arteta recently played down Arsenal's hopes of signing a new striker this month due to their limited transfer budget. "At the moment, it doesn’t look realistic... what my job is and what we have to do is improve our players," said the Gunners boss.
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