Arsenal offer two players for ‘ambitious’ striker with ‘London calling’ as Italy stay is ‘very difficult’-Realsport
Arsenal are willing to part with Takehiro Tomiyasu and Emile Smith Rowe in order to land Napoli striker Victor Osimhen this summer, according to reports.
Pundits, former players and fans have been urging the Gunners to invest in a top goalscorer for a while now, with some claiming it could be the difference between them winning the Premier League title in the future and missing out.
Arsenal failed to win the title on the final day of the season with Manchester City beating West Ham 3-1 to secure their fourth consecutive Premier League triumph.
And it now seems to be a priority to bring in a top striker in the summer transfer window with Napoli’s Osimhen and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko two of their top targets.
A report in Italy on Monday insists that Osimhen is ‘young and ambitious and dreams of the Premier League’ with it now ‘very difficult’ for the Nigeria international to remain at Napoli next season.
It is understood that Arsenal have ‘recently resurfaced’ as an option with ‘London calling’ for Osimhen and the Gunners ‘have a few men who don’t displease’ the Serie A side.
Those men are Tomiyasu and Smith Rowe with Arsenal prepared to offer the duo to bring down the cost of any deal for Osimhen.
But Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher doesn’t think Arsenal necessarily need a new centre-forward and could instead bring in another “goalscorer who plays wide”.
“I think they [Arsenal] need two players,” Carragher said over the weekend. “They need a left-back and I think they need a great attacker.
“Not necessarily a centre-forward. People keep saying they need a goalscorer. Sometimes you can have a goalscorer who plays wide.
“[Mohamed] Salah is like that for Liverpool. [Sadio] Mane was like that in the past. I just think they need another top attacking player to go alongside Bukayo Saka.
“Then one of the others can fill the other role – Martinelli, Trossard or Havertz. If they got another top attacker, you look at those five or six names, it is pretty tasty.”
Smith Rowe has also been linked with a move to Premier League side Fulham with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claiming the England international could be used as a squad player again next campaign.
Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column: “We continue to hear reports of Arsenal outgoings, and one name now attracting particular interest is Emile Smith Rowe. I can confirm, as the Telegraph reported, that he is one of the names that Fulham mentioned internally during a meeting to plan for summer window.
“Still, it will be up to Arsenal also, as even in January they insisted to keep him. I think he deserves to play, he needs to play, but I understand Mikel Arteta when he wants to keep as many players as possible. Arsenal, like all clubs who are ambitious in the big competitions, will need good squad depth again next season, so let’s see what happens.”
