Bid made: Arsenal in serious transfer battle with Man United over £44m Serie A striker, expected bid made today, awaiting for final greenlight
Arsenal have reportedly ‘set aside’ £43m to sign Manchester United target and Bologna star Joshua Zirkzee, as per the Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Gunners are seemingly keen on bolstering their frontline by signing a new prolific goal-scorer. Numerous strikers have been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium in recent times with Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen being mentioned as their primary option.
However, Toney or Osimhen is set to cost more than £100m for the North London club so it won’t be easy for Mikel Arteta’s side to lure either of their primary targets to the Emirates Stadium. So, it appears Arsenal have started to explore cheaper alternative options and have now identified Zirkzee as a key target.
While citing and translating the print version of Gazzetta dello Sport, Football Italia has reported that Arsenal have ‘set aside’ £43m to sign Zirkzee and they will submit the bid in the summer window.
Battle
However, the report claims that the Italian side believe the Dutchman is worth as much as Man Utd paid to sign Rasmus Hojlund – which is around £69m. So, the Rossoblu won’t accept the North London club’s proposal if they submit it. Therefore, the Gunners will have to splash a huge fee to lure the Dutchman away from the Renato Dall’Ara Stadium.
Gazzetta dello Sport states that Man Utd have also been showing an interest in signing Zirkzee and along with the record Premier League champions, AC Milan, and Bayern Munich are also plotting a swoop for him. So, Arsenal are set to face stiff competition from their rivals in getting any potential deal done for the 22-year-old.
Despite signing Hojlund by splashing a big fee, Man Utd have seemingly been in the market to sign a new striker as the Dane has found it difficult to showcase his best in his debut season in the English top-flight.
Zirkzee, standing at 6ft 3in tall, is a talented player and could be a shrewd signing for Arsenal or Man Utd if either club sign him. However, the forward doesn’t have much experience playing at the highest level so he might not be an ideal option to help the Gunners or the Red Devils achieve their lofty ambitions. Therefore, Man Utd or Arsenal would be better off exploring other options to reinforce their frontline.
