Arsenal are ready to open negotiations with an elite club over signing a big-name striker, as Mikel Arteta’s side also plan an eight-figure bid to secure his services ahead of the 2025/2026 Premier League campaign.
Arsenal planning to sign striker this summer
Injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have left Arteta desperately short of striking options, even if they managed to cope well against PSV Eindhoven with a record-breaking 7-1 victory in the Champions League on Tuesday.
There are suggestions that Jesus may not return for Arsenal until 2026, given the severity of his ACL rupture, while Havertz is set to miss the rest of this current campaign after tearing his hamstring in Dubai.
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Arsenal’s next five Premier League games |
Date |
|---|---|
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Man Utd (away) |
March 9th |
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Chelsea (home) |
March 16th |
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Fulham (home) |
April 1st |
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Everton (away) |
April 5th |
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Brentford (home) |
April 12th |
If Arsenal are to mount a more successful title challenge next term, then acquiring a prolific centre-forward could be imperative. It has even been reported that Arsenal could look to sign two new strikers this summer, with Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and RB Leipzig sensation Benjamin Sesko both high on their list of targets.
Elsewhere, Juventus forward Dušan Vlahović remains a player of interest to Arteta’s side, especially with his £313,000-per-week contract expiring next year.
Thiago Motta could be forced to cash-in on his chief goal-getter for a low fee, if Juve don’t manage to agree fresh terms with the Serbian, which would be a real shame for the Old Lady even if his seismic salary must be a drain on the wage bill.
The 25-year-old earns an extraordinary rumoured amount when compared to salaries at other Serie A sides, and he’d perhaps need to take a pay-cut if he were to join Arsenal, considering Havertz is their highest-paid player on £280,000-per-week right now.
That being said, in terms of a club-to-club fee, Vlahovic’s price tag wouldn’t exactly break the bank, and Arsenal already have a valuation in mind.
Arsenal ready to open talks for Dušan Vlahović in potential £25m bid
According to journalist Massimo Pavan, writing for Tutto Juve, Arsenal are ready to open talks with Juve for Vlahovic.
It is also believed that a £25 million bid from the Gunners “could be on the table”, and while Juve would want more than that to sell this summer, a figure even close to this number would be deemed good value for money.
Vlahovic has bagged 14 goals in all competitions so far this campaign, including four in the Champions League, and against top-quality opposition like Man City. His best season to date came during the 2021/2022 season, where he netted 29 in total at both Fiorentina and Juve.
He could be an astute option for Arteta if they can bring his salary down, and Arsenal intend to take full advantage of Juve’s failed talks to extend Vlahovic’s contract.
“I’ve been saying it for a long time. He’s strong, massive, he fills up front, he’s a reference, he’s a ‘left-footer’ full of courage,” said ex-Juve star Roberto Boninsegna. “A good centre-forward.”