Arsenal could look to fellow Premier League side Aston Villa to strengthen their attacking options if a deal for primary target Benjamin Sesko does not materialise.

Mikel Arteta's side currently sit second in the Premier League, six points behind Liverpool who have played a game less. the Gunners have faced criticism for the team's effort in front of goal during open play this season.

The Gunners have scored more than any top-flight club from corners but have lacked a prolific scorer with Kai Havertz's eight goals topping their scoring charts.

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This, alongside injuries to attackers Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and Ethan Nwaneri, has forced the Spanish head coach's hand to search for a striker during the winter transfer window.

RB Leipzig's Sesko has been touted as one of the potential saviours to Arsenal's attacking woes. Arteta has held a long-standing interest in the Slovenian but any potential deal is likely to be scuppered by a sizable price tag which will only increase as the February 3 transfer deadline approaches.

But, the London club might have a similar player profile to target a lot closer to home compared to the 6ft 5ins Bundesliga striker, according to football data analysts Macro Sport.

The data-led agency has accumulated all stats and figures from Sesko's 1,500-plus minutes of football for Leipzig so far this season. The player's 13 goals in 25 total appearances and general attacking play rank him in the top 99 percentile in terms of finishing, according to Macro's metrics.

Based on this, and the rest of Sesko's skillset, Macro Football has also suggested players of a similar ilk, based on the numbers, with Aston Villa's Jhon Duran being a near-perfect match.

Twenty-one-year-old Duran is currently averaging a goal a game after bagging 12 times in 1019 minutes of play, across 28 matches. The Colombian was the subject of a £57million bid from West Ham last week - a figure reported to be well below Villa's valuation.

Arsenal could be alerted to the situation if it were to develop further and Duran wished to move from the Birmingham-based club. Arteta's predecessor, Unai Emery has rarely opted to play both Duran and his chief striker, Ollie Watkins, this season despite good form from the pair of them.

Instead, Duran has been heavily rotated with the England international, performing well when given his chances and, on occasion, forcing Watkins to the bench. But, the potential to play regular Premier League football for Arsenal might entice the player away from Villa Park if Arteta is to pivot from his Sesko pursuit.