Arsenal scouring transfer market for new attacking options
The north Londoners could still add a new attacker to Mikel Arteta's ranks before the summer transfer cut-off on August 30, and it is something which could seriously boost their chances of beating Man City to the Premier League title.
Arsenal-Mikel-Merino-Arteta
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Fabrizio Romano says £26m player has agreed to join Arsenal with Merino
Arsenal are closing in on a deal for Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino, and have already signed both defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna and goalkeeper David Raya in a £27 million permanent transfer from Brentford.
Mikel Merino Real Sociedad Stats (2023/24 La Liga)
Games
32
Goals/assists
5/3
Pass accuracy
76.2%
Progressive passes per 90
5.91
Tackles per 90
2.79
Interceptions per 90
0.58
WhoScored
However, it is believed that sporting director Edu Gaspar and his Gunners transfer team are scouring the market for fresh attacking options as well. Bukayo Saka played over 50 games in all competitions last season, with Arteta heavily reliant on the England star for Arsenal's output.
The 22-year-old, Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz scored a combined 58 goals across 2023/2024, with Saka bagging 22 of them. However, if injury were to befall him, it would spell disaster for Arteta.
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Arsenal were linked with a move for Pedro Neto before he joined Chelsea, alongside other wingers, as Edu and co contemplate signing an alternative to Saka before deadline day.
Arsenal fighting Liverpool to sign Ademola Lookman
Now, according to reports in Spain, another player they're targeting out wide is Atalanta star Ademola Lookman.
It is believed Arsenal are competing with Liverpool over signing Lookman, who scored 17 goals and assisted 10 others across 45 appearances last campaign. The former Everton star commands a price tag of around £34 million, according to some reports, and shares the same agency as Havertz - specifically ROOF.
“He scored some massive goals for me at Leicester, he scored the winning goal in a game against Liverpool at home, it was a brilliant individual goal," said his former boss Brendan Rodgers, following Lookman's heroics against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final last season.
"But I am so, so pleased for him because he has travelled the world to be the best player that he can be and I am so happy he has flourished his talents on such a big occasion.
Ademola Lookman for Atalanta
"I go back to my first night here at Celtic, I met Ade when he knew he was going to leave Charlton. We had looked to get him up here at the time but it was so early in the window that by the time the window finished, we couldn't afford him. The money was too much and he ended up going to Everton. We always kept in contact so when I was at Leicester and he was at Red Bull [Leipzig], we had the chance to take him on loan.
“So I took him in and he was absolutely brilliant. What a professional he is, the way he looks after himself, the extra work he does in training. Those goals that he scored, he practices those after training, he would always do extra training. His professionalism was unbelievable.”
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