Arsenal are ready to make their move for Bologna’s Joshua Zirkzee as the Gunners continue to monitor the striker market following Benjamin Sesko’s decision to stay at RB Leipzig.
The Slovenia star was a target for the North London club and fellow Premier League rivals Chelsea but has decided to continue his career in Germany, with his new deal removing the release clause of £55m in his current contract.
Following this news, Mikel Arteta and Arsenal’s sporting director Edu will now turn their attention to alternative targets as they look to add to their attack this summer.
Bologna’s Joshua Zirkzee remains a top target for the North London outfit and the Premier League club could now step up their interest in the Dutch star according to Charles Watts via the Daily Briefing.
The Serie A striker has £34m release clause which is attracting several clubs, with AC Milan pushing hard to add the 23-year-old to their squad for the 2024/25 campaign.
Watts says Arsenal have been watching developments closely and could now enter the running for the forward before it is too late.
The Gunners journalist says that the North London outfit remain calm about how their summer is shaping up, especially when it comes to their attacking options.
Arsenal ready to step up their interest in Bologna’s Joshua Zirkzee
“Arsenal remain interested in Joshua Zirkzee and could now step up that interest following Benjamin Sesko’s decision to stay at RB Leipzig this summer,” Watts said.
“Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu will now turn their attention elsewhere as they look to add to their attack and interest remains in Bologna striker Zirkzee.
“Like Sesko, the 23-year-old has a relatively low release clause of £34m and is the subject of widespread interest from clubs around Europe.
“The Gunners remain calm about how the summer is shaping up, especially when it comes to their attacking options.”
Zirkzee experienced a brilliant campaign in Italy as his performances helped Bologna qualify for next season’s Champions League. The 23-year-old produced 11 goals and five assists across 34 Serie A matches and is overall a top forward player.
The Dutch star’s age also makes him an attractive option as he has more room to get even better. Arteta will be confident of deriving that from the striker but the the Gunners face tough competition to land the Bologna star this summer.
Zirkzee is not the answer; he plays for the crowd and doesn’t score that many goals nor provide assists.
Santiago Gimenez is also an average center forward like Zirkzee. Non of them is the answer. Gyokeres or even Guirassy ( stop gap).