Arsenal target Bayer Leverkusen starlet Christian Kofane to fix frontline issues in January transfer window

Arsenal are reportedly weighing up a mid-season move for Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane as Mikel Arteta looks to sharpen his side's attacking edge. The Gunners have enjoyed a stellar start to the campaign but remain concerned by a lack of clinical finishing in tight matches.

Arsenal are actively considering a January move for Kofane, according to BBC Sport, as they look to resolve ongoing concerns regarding their efficiency in front of goal. Despite sitting five points clear at the top of the Premier League table, the Gunners have frequently struggled to kill games off, relying heavily on narrow margins to secure three points. The North London side has secured nine wins from their opening ten league fixtures, yet six of those victories were decided by just a single goal, prompting Arteta to search for more firepower during the winter transfer window.

While Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, and Bukayo Saka currently lead the club's scoring charts with three league goals each, the lack of a dominant goalscorer remains a talking point. Arteta's side recently equalled their best-ever start to a Premier League campaign with a 1-0 win over Hull City, but the manager's post-match comments suggested he is far from satisfied with the current output.

Kofane has emerged as a serious candidate for the Gunners, with his performances in the Bundesliga catching the attention of scouts across Europe. The 20-year-old has already displayed his potential this season, netting three goals in six appearances for Bayer Leverkusen before a hamstring injury sustained in October temporarily halted his progress. His physical profile and technical ability have made him one of the most talked-about young talents in German football, and Arsenal fans may already be familiar with his work rate on the pitch.

Kofane's name will already be a familiar one to Arsenal fans, having started both legs of the Champions League round-of-16 tie against the Premier League champions last season as Leverkusen lost 3-1 on aggregate. Although the Cameroonian forward did not find the back of the net in either game, his movement and pressing clearly left a lasting impression.

Kofane's journey to the top has been rapid; he moved from AS Nylon in his native Cameroon to Spanish side Albacete in 2024. After scoring eight goals in 20 appearances in the Spanish second tier, Leverkusen acted quickly to bring him to Germany in July 2025, where he has since recorded ten goals and nine assists in 50 total appearances.

While Kofane is high on the shortlist, he is not the only name being linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium this winter. Arsenal are also reportedly monitoring Nicolo Tresoldi, who has been in sensational form for Club Brugge.

The young striker has been virtually unstoppable this season, racking up 14 goals in 17 matches across all competitions. His stock rose significantly following a stunning hat-trick against Inter Milan in the Champions League, proving he can perform at the highest level against elite defensive units.

The urgency for a new signing was perhaps best articulated by Arteta himself following Saturday's narrow 1-0 victory against Hull City at home. The Spaniard was vocal about his side's tendency to overcomplicate things in the box, especially when facing deep-sitting defensive blocks. 'We need to find ways to be more efficient, sometimes even more pragmatic,' the Arsenal manager told the media.

Arteta further elaborated on the need for a shift in mentality, stating: 'Sometimes my feeling is that we are trying to score a perfect goal against these low blocks. We need to be much more chaotic than that, and that's it. And open, I think, the scoreline much earlier because obviously that's going to change the course of the game.'