Mikel Arteta feels a new striker could help solidify Arsenal’s quest of finishing in the top four this season and qualifying for the Champions League as Dusan Vlahovic emerges as their top target.
The Gunners have identified the Fiorentina star as their number one option as they look for a new no.9 in January.
Arteta feels a new talisman could help solidify their quest of finishing in the top four this season and qualifying for the Champions league. Hence are willing to break the bank in order to achieve that feat.
Vlahovic is available in the current window. But it is undoubtedly more challenging to prize him away this month compared to the summer.
The Gunners have reportedly made an approach to sign the Serbian, which he has turned down as he wants to weigh up his options at the end of the season.
Vlahovic also wants his next club to be playing consistently in the Champions League, something Arsenal cannot guarantee him.
Fiorentina have slapped a £58million price tag on their prized asset who has 18 months left on his current deal.
And the report claims the 21-year-old is also demanding a £300,000 per week pay packet if he is to make the move to the Emirates.
Arsenal are willing to wait until the summer. But that would bring three other targets into play, who are all simply unattainable in January.
But Arsenal could make moves for Alexander Isak, Jonathan David, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin if they’re still in the hunt for a striker at the end of the season.
Arteta has admitted that Arsenal is “open” to doing a significant deal in January as the club looks to add attacking reinforcements.
“If it’s the right player, we can afford and we can do want we want to do, we will discuss it and come to the best possible decision. We are open,” he said.
“I think with the amount of things and the way we want to evolve the squad, we have to maximize every window in many different ways”.
“We are alert. (Technical director) Edu and his team are working very hard because we know exactly what we need to do”.
“Whether we can accomplish that in January or the summer is a different question and related to lots of other stuff but we are there.”