Could this £28m Arsenal target be an essential January signing?

Good strikers just don’t come cheap any more. With rumours suggesting that Karim Benzema could cost upwards of £43m and that Robert Lewandowski could cost as much as £25m in January (despite only having six months left on his contract), it’s difficult to see where a club like Arsenal could turn.

What’s clear enough, is that Arsenal desperately need another striker.

This is the stage in the article where I need to slavishly point out just what a fine job Olivier Giroud has done this season. I won’t let you down: the man has been a revelation. He is keeping the £43m man, Karim Benzema out of the French International team, after all.

His strength, power, presence, touch and confidence in front of goal have turned Arsenal into a force this season. It’s my hope that Arsene Wenger decides to double down on these qualities and sign Christian Benteke.

At first glance, both Olivier Giroud and Christian Benteke have rather similar playing styles. They’re both tall, dominant in the air and tough to shake off the ball.  They’re also both natural goal-scorers.

But at just 22-years-old, there’s something special about Christian Benteke. I mean, the lad scored 23 goals in his debut Premier League season. That’s a remarkable return.

He’s also proven that he’s not going to suffer from second season syndrome. He already has five goals this season. Given his youth and the fact that he already seems to be a fairly complete striker, there’s no real limit to his potential.

Still, he’s not going to be easy to pluck away from Aston Villa’s grasp. Benteke signed a new four year deal with the club during the summer. They would hold all the cards if negotiations were to open up.

On the other hand, Arsenal are flush with cash at the moment and the Mesut Ozil deal proves that Arsene Wenger is willing to spend when necessary.

The Star suggests he could be available for around £28m. In reality, Aston Villa probably wouldn’t sell unless Arsenal went in much higher.

But for Arsenal, the opportunity to have two world-class strikers in their squad should be too good to turn down. Let’s see if Arsene Wenger can make yet another big deal happen?

What’s your take? Should the Gunners go big and try to sign Christian Benteke?

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