Arsenal have secret transfer weapon to land Ollie Watkins alternative as medical complete

Aston Villa rejecting an approach from Arsenal to sign Ollie Watkins at the same time as selling Jhon Duran could now allow the Gunners to revive their reported interest in a striker from last summer.

Duran will reputedly fly to Saudi Arabia on Friday to finalise a £64million transfer to Al Nassr before their winter window closes on 30 January. The striker is said to have completed a medical in London on Thursday morning after agreeing to a five-and-a-half-year contract.

That development emerged on Thursday night after the Gunners approached Watkins, reportedly on Monday, but at least before the offer became public earlier in the evening. football.london understands Villa consider it impossible to let both strikers leave this winter.

So with Duran now Saudi-bound, Villa selling Watkins at this stage seems exceeding unlikely. However, there is another player left in limbo by the Colombia international's impending move: Victor Boniface.

The Nigeria international is who Al Nassr were pursuing before doing the Duran deal. Sky Germany reported a verbal agreement had been reached and a medical was completed but they had still yet to sign the contracts.

Bayer Leverkusen even left Boniface out of the squad for their Champions League match against Sparta Prague on Wednesday to not jeopardise the move. Later that evening, Al Nassr collapsed the deal by choosing Duran instead.

That now presents the Gunners with an opportunity to sign a striker who is evidently open to moving before the window closes. Leverkusen reputedly accepted around a £50million transfer fee for Boniface, which Arsenal should find affordable.

The player himself is even a self-confessed life-long Arsenal fan and is currently a teammate of former Gunners captain Granit Xhaka. Therefore, the midfielder may well help facilitate a move to north London for the 24-year-old over the coming days, if indeed the Gunners take that path.

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