Arsenal look to have been handed a huge January transfer incentive to sign Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United. The Gunners have shown an interest in acquiring his services dating back to the summer of 2023 when he joined the Hammers from Ajax for £38million.
Brighton and Chelsea were also interested in bringing him over to the Premier League but it was West Ham that won the race for his signature and it's fair to say since then his stock has increased. In the last few months, he has barely been in the headlines, but that was because of a straight red card picked up against Tottenham.
The Ghana international missed a total of five matches with his suspension increased by two games following an FA review. Following that, Kudus was back in the squad and straight into the starting XI on his return with the 24-year-old playing 79 minutes in the 3-1 defeat to Leicester.
That defeat was Julen Lopetegui's seventh in the Premier League this season and with that pressure has increased significantly on his position at London Stadium. With the manager situation an uncertain one, it also appears the future of several key players is up in the air.
According to TBR Football, West Ham have not ruled out the possibility of Kudus departing in January in order to help the club's finances. Given that update, Arsenal showing a keen interest is very possible, but it would likely require them to change their winter window stance from reactive to proactive.
Mikel Arteta is keen to add a versatile attacker to his squad with Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao his favoured signing as of last summer. The Spain international, after helping his country win the 2024 Euros, was of interest to several top European clubs including Arsenal before deciding to remain at Bilbao for the 2024/25 campaign.
That stance could certainly change in the summer, but an exit next month has already been ruled out. With that in mind, given the possibility of a mid-season switch, attention could turn to Kudus especially considering the current state of the title race with Arsenal possibly having their best chance of winning domestic silverware in some time.
Though West Ham's financial issue is a concern, it is very unlikely an offer for Kudus below £80million is accepted with it equally hard to see Arsenal forking out such a fee.