Arsenal deal Ruben Amorim transfer blow after finalising five-man striker shortlist

Arsenal deal Ruben Amorim transfer blow after finalising five-man striker shortlist

Arsenal are finally set to sign a marquee striker in the summer transfer window having already drawn up a list of key targets for Mikel Arteta

Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres are both wanted by Arsenal (Image: Michael Campanella/Getty Images )

For the past few months, Arsenal sources have made no secret of the fact the club are gearing up for a busy summer of transfer activity, both in terms of incomings and outgoings. But those messages were spoken into existence by Mikel Arteta on Monday when the Spaniard made it abundantly clear that he expects to make notably exciting changes to his squad during the off-season.

He said ahead of Tuesday's clash with Fulham : "We want to increase the depth of the squad but as well we want to increase the quality and the skills that we need to go to the next step. It’s going to be a big one and we are very excited about it.” Top of both his and newly-appointed sporting director Andrea Berta's agenda is the acquisition of a prolific striker which has long been deemed as the missing piece of the Emirates puzzle.

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Newcastle frontman Alexander Isak remains Arsenal 's dream signing but the Magpies understandably have no interest in entertaining a sale and hope to tie the Swede down to a new lucrative contract at the end of the campaign after his Carabao Cup final goal against Liverpool helped end their 70-year trophy drought. Should Arsenal receive indications that he is potentially available, there is every chance the Gunners would formalise interest and rival Liverpool for his signature but both of those sides understand and respect it will prove incredibly complex to prise Isak away from Tyneside.

Any deal would also come at huge financial cost and industry sources anticipate it would almost certainly require a British-record transfer fee to get Newcastle talking even in the event Isak communicates his desire to pursue an exit, which is all hypothetical at this stage. With midfielder Martin Zubimendi poised to join Arsenal in a £51million deal this summer, the growing feeling is that a move for Isak just isn't viable without significant sales, anyway.

As first reported by The Athletic, Viktor Gyokeres is a name that has come into serious reckoning in recent weeks. Berta was previously interested in bringing the Sporting CP hotshot to Atletico Madrid but crucially, he is now available for a realistic price this summer. Isak's international team-mate could be in the shop window for a figure within the region of £55m to £60m due to a gentleman's agreement with Sporting, who are ready to sanction his departure after two outstanding seasons in Lisbon.

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Gyokeres is also wanted by his former boss Ruben Amorim at cash-strapped Manchester United but the Portuguese's finances will be limited and will also be dictated by European qualification and player sales. Arsenal, who have a healthy, competitive budget to hand, will almost certainly be able to offer Gyokeres Champions League football and the chance to compete for the Premier League title and other major honours. He is a signing and profile that ticks many boxes for Arteta and it's easy to see why he's now under serious consideration.

Viktor Gyokeres is now on Arsenal's radar (Image: Getty Images )

Then there is RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, a long-standing Arsenal target which they have already completed plenty of groundwork on. They were primed to move for the Slovenian last summer before Sesko decided to stay put in Germany, signing a new long-term contract. But with Leipzig now badly struggling having just sacked boss Marco Rose, Sesko is set to leave the Bundesliga giants in the coming months and England is viewed as his most-likely destination.

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Sesko has a release clause written into his Leipzig deal that becomes active this summer. At this moment in time, it's believed to stand at around £58.5m but could reach £67m by the end of the campaign based on various performance-related criteria. The 21-year-old, who has scored 17 goals in all competitions this season, is also strongly admired by Chelsea and is undoubtedly open to joining Arsenal despite technically rejecting them last summer, prior to Euro 2024.

The two wildcard options further down Arsenal's shortlist are Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike and Wolves attacker Matheus Cunha. France U21 international Ekitike has impressed scouts of various top European clubs in recent months with his talents and goalscoring exploits but PSG have a 20 per cent sell-on clause which means Eintracht Frankfurt are poised to drive a hard bargain. For the price it would take to land the 22-year-old, Sesko still feels like a more likely pick if the Gunners opt to invest in a young centre-forward.

Meanwhile, Cunha, who Berta brought to Atletico Madrid from Hertha Berlin in 2021, can leave Wolves for £62.5m this summer due to a release clause. While Arsenal did consider launching a swoop for the Brazilian in January, the likes of Isak, Gyokeres and Sesko are now of far greater interest.

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