Arsenal could break the Premier League transfer record in the summer as their search for a new striker continues. The Gunners are hoping to bring in a marquee signing up front in January but it seems unlikely that any major deals will be struck until the end of the season.
According to the Athletic, Ivan Toney, Victor Osimhen, Benjamin Sesko and Evan Ferguson are admired by Arsenal but they are not expected to arrive any time soon. Ferguson and Osimhen will cost in excess of £100million which would prove to be tricky for Arsenal FFP-wise following a summer of heavy spending.
Napoli have slapped a £155m price tag on Osimhen’s head, which would prove to be a record transfer for England’s top flight. Multiple top European clubs are said to be keen on acquiring his services but club president Aurelio de Laurentiis insists only PSG will be able to fork out the staggering fee they are demanding for their star striker.
“I would say that if [Victor] Osimhen stays here, all the better,” he said in an interview with Sport Mediaset. “If he doesn’t, we’ll get over it and there will certainly be a very strong player who can replace him.
“I think that Osimhen will also stay next year. The only team that could sign him is PSG. So if Nasser Al-Khelaifi wants to come up with a 200 million dollar offer, we’ll wait for him and then evaluate.”
Brighton would also want a nine-figure sum for Ferguson and could demand a record fee as they are in no rush to sell the 19-year-old wonderkid, having recently tied him down to a contract extension at the American Express Stadium until 2029.
Meanwhile, Toney is said to be “very excited” about the interest being shown in him by the north Londoners. However, the Sun claims the Bees forward feels indebted to Brentford for sticking by him during his betting ban so he is expected to stay until the summer.
Sesko is the simplest deal to get done but at 20 years old he is viewed as one for the future so there is no rush to get the deal done.
