Arsenal have informed Bologna that they are prepared to pay over €40 million to secure the services of Joshua Zirkzee this summer, according to Corriere dello Sport (page 12).
The Dutchman is currently in his second campaign with the Serie A outfit. He has registered eight goals and four assists from 22 appearances for Thiago Motta’s side.
His performances have caught the eye of the Gunners and Corriere dello Sport claim that the club are ready to make an approach for him at the end of the season.
Bayern Munich presently have a buy-back clause worth €40m for Zirkzee, and they will also be entitled to a significant sell-on clause, suppose he moves to another club.
As a result, Bologna are in a strong position to negotiate and it is claimed that they will ask for a higher price than his clause value to part ways with him this summer.
Arsenal are reportedly prepared to ‘guarantee’ such a fee, though they could face competition from Manchester United, who are also willing to meet the demands.
ZIRKZEE COULD REPLACE EDDIE NKETIAH AT ARSENAL
The Gunners currently have Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah as the frontline options, but it is quite clear that the former is the undisputed first-choice under manager Mikel Arteta.
Nketiah has largely started games when Jesus has been out injured. He recently saw Leandro Trossard picked over him to lead the line against Liverpool when Jesus was absent.
In our view, a new striker signing could pave the way for Nketiah’s exit. Zirkzee is far from a complete player, but the Dutchman has made good strides with Bologna this term.
He has only 12 goal contributions from 22 games but has plenty of potential. He is good with his anchor and link-up play. He has good pace and can dribble past his opponents.
The Dutchman also has an aerial presence which the Gunners are lacking up front.
The fans would ideally want someone like Ivan Toney or Victor Osimhen to compete with Jesus, but we won’t be surprised if the manager prefers to recruit Zirkzee instead.
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