Arsenal agree initial fee to sign £60m “monster”

The mission is clear for Andrea Berta this summer. Sign a new striker or risk the wrath of Arsenal fans the world over.

To give the Italian his credit, he’s done a pretty good job in the first month or so of the summer transfer window, but there’s still much to do and full judgment will be reserved until the market closes.

While the Gunners are yet to confirm any new signings, there are three on the way in the shape of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard and most excitingly, Martin Zubimendi.

Celebrated by Spain manager Luis de la Fuente as “one of the best midfielders in the world”, European football expert Sid Lowe has previously noted that the 26-year-old “is just about as good a deep-lying midfielder there is in Europe, apart from maybe Rodri.”

So, what we can grasp from that is he’s a pretty good player.

But, and this is a key but, Mikel Arteta and Co are yet to sign a new forward.

The latest on Arsenal’s hunt for a new striker

There appear to be two candidates to be cast as the new no.9 at Arsenal; Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres.

Sesko was headhunted by the Gunners last summer but the Slovenian ultimately signed a new contract with RB Leipzig. He’s stayed in Germany an extra year but is widely expected to leave the Bundesliga behind this window.

Unfortunately for Arsenal, Leipzig had been demanding in the region of €80m (£68m) to €100m (£85m) for the striker. In recent days, German publication BILD suggest that they are now willing to lower that to something around the €70m (£60m) mark with add-ons.

If that fee is kept to, then you wouldn’t bet against Arsenal offering the right amount.

The situation surrounding Gyokeres is complex as well, particularly after a reported falling out with the Sporting hierarchy over the terms of his exit.

A report from Portuguese outlet, O Jogo, has revealed that the Swede’s club are holding out for a figure of €80m (£68m), but that wasn’t what was agreed prior to the summer.

The publication goes on to note that the Gunners have actually already struck an ‘agreement’ with the player’s agent, Hasan Cetinkaya, regarding a fee.

Cetinkaya is allegedly ‘betting’ on a price of around €60m plus €10m in add-ons (£60m overall), an amount that they claim was agreed with the player’s agent and Sporting before the window got underway.

So, whoever Arteta manages to get his hands on, it’s likely the Gunners will have shelled out something around the £70m mark.

Why Gyokeres could take Bukayo Saka to new heights

If 2024/25 proved anything, it’s that Arsenal are far too reliant on Bukayo Saka. Still, that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

He has been the club’s best player in recent years and demonstrated that by scoring 12 goals, the second-highest at the club and registering 14 assists last season, topping the charts for that particular metric.

Saka produced those numbers all while missing several months of the campaign with a long-term hamstring injury.

During that time, the Gunners suffered the consequences. Despite the emergence of wonderkid, Ethan Nwaneri, Arteta’s lack of depth on the right flank was exposed.

As was their lack of overall quality in the final third, particularly when Kai Havertz also suffered a hamstring injury.

During Saka’s time on the sidelines, Arsenal dropped points in five of the 12 league games he missed, points that ultimately proved costly in their bid to win the title. They also only scored more than two goals in a game in two of those fixtures, the 5-1 drubbing against Manchester City and the 3-1 win over Brentford.

So, Saka is pretty crucial and so is the addition of a new centre-forward. The idea of Arsenal’s best player combining with a striker as potent as Gyokeres is a mouthwatering one.

As far as pure goalscoring is concerned, there isn’t a better player in Europe. He found the net a whopping 54 times in 52 games last season and considering Arsenal need goals, he should be the number one option this summer.

Described as a “monster” by journalist Alex Turk, that aptly sums up his ability inside the penalty area. His record over the last couple of years is nothing short of freakish.

For Saka, this should be a match made in heaven. While Gyokeres is a goalscoring machine, Saka is the creative machine. Last season, the right-winger ranked number one in the Premier League for expected assists per 90 minutes (0.41), shot-creating actions per 90 (6.09) and goal-creating actions per 90 (1.20).

Those numbers were produced all without a direct out and out centre-forward in Arsenal’s ranks for much of the season.

Thus, just imagine the remarkable numbers he could put up if he were playing alongside Gyokeres in Arteta’s attack. This could just be the combination that helps move Arsenal closer to the title next season.