FLIGHT BOOKED: Arsenal’s first summer transfer signing has booked a flight as medical is expected to be completed today
Arsenal transfer chief Andrea Berta is personally keen on a high-earning centre-forward, who’d now reportedly jump at the chance to join Mikel Arteta’s side.
Arsenal two-man striker target list with Andrea Berta holding talks
According to recent reports, two players currently stand out as Arsenal’s most desired striker targets – Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
Going by the on-field and off-field numbers, it is clear to see why this is the case.
Gyokeres, who’s racked up a phenomenal 53 goals in all competitions for Sporting this season, could also depart the Primeira Liga side for a fee of up to £60 million, according to Fabrizio Romano, so he’d be an arguable bargain when factoring in the 26-year-old’s record.
Meanwhile, Sesko’s current release clause stands at £67 million, and the Slovenia international actually bettered his goalscoring tally from last season (18) with 21 goals across all competitions.
While some reports in Portugal earlier this week stated that Arsenal have agreed a £59m fee to sign Gyokeres from Sporting (O Jogo), this claim appears to have jumped the gun, as Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg stated on Friday that Berta is holding serious talks over a move for Sesko.
Arsenal’s pursuit of a top goalscorer remains very much open, as Berta identifies targets who he believes would be best-suited to Arteta.
Interestingly, as per journalist Simon Phillips last week, Arteta would personally prefer Sesko, while Berta is believed to be more of a fan of Gyokeres.
What’s clear, though, is Arsenal’s glaring need for another striker. Arteta has been forced to utilise midfielder Mikel Merino as an emergency striker for most of this calendar year, following injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz.
While the latter has since returned to action, it is imperative that Arsenal don’t wait any longer to sign a 25-plus-goals-per-season forward, as they look to mount a successful Premier League title challenge.
Dušan Vlahović would “immediately” join Arsenal this summer
According to some reports, there are other centre-forwards on Berta’s shopping list, albeit further down the pecking order when compared to Sesko and Gyokeres.
Journalist Daniele Longo, writing a piece for Calciomercato, shares that Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović is one of them.
The Serbia international is entering the final 12 months of his £359,000-per-week contract at Juve, and with no sign of a renewal, it would appear that the Old Lady must be more inclined to sell him this summer, rather than lose Vlahovic for nothing in 2026.
Longo states that Vlahovic “would immediately pack his bags” and join Arsenal if given the opportunity, and Berta personally wants the ex-Fiorentina star, even if he’s less of a transfer priority.
The “starting” price of any negotiations for Vlahovic comes at around £42 million, which could be seen by some as good value, considering the “machine” has scored at least 14 total goals per season since 2020/21.
If Berta were to seriously pursue him, Arsenal’s major obstacle would undoubtedly be Vlahovic’s extortionate wages.
