Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reminded supporters that there’s still a lot of time left in the summer transfer window as the Gunners look set to ramp up their interest in Napoli striker Victor Osimhen once again.
Having only made additions to their midfield and defensive lines over the past two seasons, the north London outfit are said to still be open to improving their attacking ranks this summer amid links to a number of the world’s top forward options.
This summer has seen the arrival of Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna and goalkeeper David Raya from Brentford, with a £30million deal for Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino, who is set to be announced later this week. They’re also set to sell a number of players late on before the deadline, including winger Reiss Nelson, defender Jakub Kiwior and shot-stopper Aaron Ramsdale, having already said goodbye to Emile Smith Rowe, who joined Fulham earlier this month.
Striker Eddie Nketiah is another who could leave the Emirates Stadium in the next week, having been under constant pursuit by Nottingham Forest over the past few days. The 25-year-old could net the Gunners as much as £30m in their efforts to maximise profits on him as he continues to slide down the pecking order in north London.
There have been continued questions about Arteta’s side and their ability to win trophies without a traditional centre-forward, but the Spaniard and his players have consistently managed to shoot down the doubters with their domestic success despite there having been no arrivals in the attacking third since Leandro Trossard signed from Brighton in January last year.
While rumours surrounding potential moves for Viktor Gyokeres and Ivan Toney have lasted throughout the summer, one name that has ebbed and flowed has been Victor Osimhen. The Napoli striker has often been more closely linked to both London rivals Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal seem to have been third in what has been a two-horse race.
However, the Gunners may not be ready to give up on Osimhen quite yet, as Corriere dello Sport (via the Mirror) believe that Arsenal would be prepared to pay £84.9m for the Serie A star. It’s a number that doesn’t quite reach his release clause of £110m but it could still be enough to prise the star out of Italy after he handed in a transfer request earlier in the summer.
Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna has previously admitted he expects to lose the Nigeria international, who netted 26 league goals in 32 matches during their Scudetto-winning campaign two seasons ago. He claimed: “Victor is an important player, with an important value and conditions. His desire is clear.
“We tried to maintain the integrity of the squad at this moment. We are not the only club in this situation and we’ll see what happens over the next 10 days. At this time, it is not right to say what sensations there are. We are working with his entourage to find the best solution.”
Arsenal will now take a trip to Aston Villa tomorrow afternoon as they look to get revenge on Unai Emery’s side for the 2-0 loss at the Emirates last season that ultimately derailed their title ambitions. Following that, they host Brighton at the end of the month before an all-important north London derby against Tottenham in mid-September.
