Arsenal Latest Transfer Updates On William Saliba, Gabriel Jesus, and Victor Osimhen
Arsenal finished their English Premier League campaign with a big 5-1 home win over Everton last Sunday. But they fail 2 points short of European qualification for the next season. North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal competed for the 4th position till the last matchweek and the former secured it with a 0-5 away win over Norwich City.
Manager Mikel Arteta has formed a very competitive starting eleven at Emirates with good use of academy stars. Arsenal has spent wisely to strengthen their defense from the last two transfer windows with the signings of Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, Nuno Tavares, and Takehiro Tomivasu. Now Gunners need quality reinforcements in central midfield and attack to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
Arsenal failed to sign Dusan Vlahovic in the January transfer window with the player rejecting a £70 million London move. Arteta lost former skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona and Alexandre Lacazette is set to leave Emirates with his contract expiring next month. Arsenal definitely need a big update on current forwards Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli.
Napoli Rejected £76 Million Offer For Victor Osimhen, Tottenham Enter The Race For Arsenal Target Gabriel Jesus
Arsenal have turned their focus to another Serie A star forward Victor Osimhen. The 23-year-old Nigerian international arrived at Naples two seasons ago and has enjoyed a great season this year. He scored 14 Serie A goals and 4 more in Europa League despite missing a handful of fixtures to injuries.
According to a report from Calciomercato, Arsenal has £76 million offer rejected by Napoli this week. Napoli has already lost legendary forward Lorenzo Insigne for the next season with the player agreeing on pre-contract offer with MLS side Inter Miami. The veteran forward Dries Mertens turned 35 of age this month and is unlikely to extend his contract with the club. So Napoli are in a good position to demand more money for their Nigerian forward, who still has three years left on his contract.
The latest report also suggests that Arsenal technical director Edu has started negotiating another offer for the player, which shows the club’s commitment to signing Victor Osimhen this summer.
Arsenal is also keeping tabs on Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus. The 25-year-old Brazilian has struggled to be a regular starter under the management of Pep Guardiola and is tipped to leave Etihad Stadium this summer. According to a report from Telegraph, Arsenal will face a tough challenge from their neighbors Tottenham Hotspur as Antonio Conte is looking for a possible replacement for Harry Kane.
William Saliba Wants Marseille Stay To Compete In Champions League Football
The 21-year-old French center-back has expressed his desire to stay at Marseille after his successful season-long stay in Ligue 1. Arsenal signed Saliba back in 2019 for a transfer fee of £27 million but the player is yet make a first-team appearance for the North London giants.
Saliba also spent first half of the last season with Arsenal’s U-23 team and later on loan with French side LOSC Lille. Arsenal has formed a formidable centre-back pairing with Gabriel Magalhaes and Ben White this season and Saliba is unlikely to get regular first-team chances at Emirates next season.
Marseille finished this season in the 2nd position in Ligue 1 table and has secured qualification for the Champions League next season. Saliba made 34 league appearances this season and was instrumental in team’s success. Now, while speaking to Get French Football News, he has expressed his desire to stay at Marseille.
“I want to come back and play in the Champions League. I have never played in it and I want to discover it here,” – William Saliba.
But Marseille is facing a 2-year transfer ban for the breach of transfer rules while signing midfielder Papa Gueye. The French outfits have appealed against this ban in court but are unlikely to win. So Saliba is expected to be a part of Arsenal’s first-team squad and will make his debut after three seasons.