Current English Premier League contender Arsenal FC is reportedly preparing a £20 million bid for Watford FC striker Odion Ighalo at the end of the season as the Gunners want to improve on their "attacking options" for next season.

Arsenal, currently at the third spot of the English top flight's league table behind surprise leaders Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur, has been inconsistent this season especially in the offensive end, scoring only 41 goals in 26 games.

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Manchester City, presently at the no. 4 spot, and Everton, at no. 11, both scored more goals than Arsene Wenger's squad this season, which is why the club has "made signing a new forward a key target for the summer", as per Metro.

The 26-year-old Nigeria international is tied with City's Sergio Agüero and Leicester's Riyad Mahrez as the fourth-leading goal scorer in the Premier League as of the moment with 14 goals each. He scored 20 goals in 35 games to lead the Hornets playing to a second place finish in the Football League Championship last season which helped them get promoted to England's first division.

Another EPL giant, Manchester United, is said to be also keen on signing the 6-foot-2 forward in the summer.

Meanwhile, the Mirror noted that Wenger, the 66-year-old manager of Arsenal, "is stepping up his interest" in Ighalo as he identified the Nigerian as "one of the strikers at the top of their shortlist for summer strikers".

Wenger is reportedly eager to add Ighalo to his trio of scorers up front, namely Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott, and Danny Welbeck.

The report also said that the Hornets are open to selling Ighalo if they can get their £20 million asking price, which is said to be within the range of the Gunners' spending budget this summer.

Watford is allegedly already looking at Spanish club Granada CF's striker "Isaac Success as a potential replacement" for Ighalo if in case his exit pushes through.

Tags Football Transfer Rumors, Arsenal FC, Odion Ighalo, Watford FC, Arsene Wenger