Arsenal handed major boost in £34m striker transfer chase with Gunners 'prepared to meet' terms

Arsenal’s early summer search for a new striker has been well-documented in the past few weeks, with Viktor Gyokeres, Benjamin Sesko and Alexander Isak all linked with lucrative moves to the Emirates.

Fresh reports now suggest the Gunners have now been handed a huge boost in their apparent pursuit of Bologna’s Joshua Zirkzee - his agent has close ties with Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar and reports from Corriere, via Sport Witness, suggest he wants his client to move to N7 over the other interested party, AC Milan. It’s also suggested that the Gunners are prepare to meet both the agent fee and Zirkzee’s salary demands in order to make the move happen.

Arsenal scored over 90 goals in the Premier League alone this season, with the goal-scorers coming from all over the pitch. However ahead of the 2024/25 season, Mikel Arteta hopes to land an out-and-out striker that can bolster their attack as they seek to finally beat Manchester City to the Premier League trophy.

Other targets including Slovenia international Sesko have been eyed by Edu following an exceptional campaign that has seen him score 18 goals across all competitions for RB Leipzig, while Newcastle’ United s Isak had also been considered as an option - his importance to Eddie Howe could make that acquisition impossible, however, with the Magpies likely to demand an enormous fee for their talismanic forward.

Zirkzee, however, continues to look the most likely and even more so after suggested that the £34m star’s agent Kia Joorabchian hopes his ‘special’ client ends up at the Emirates and has indicated that the north London club are willing to pay hefty agent fees that could go as high as £13m.

The Gunners are also said to have ‘no problem’ paying the Dutch 23-year-old’s salary either, which would give them a huge advantage over Bologna’s Serie A rivals I Rossoneri.

The Netherlands international was a star player under Thiago Motta last term, scoring eleven goals and providing five further assists, and his former manager has called him ‘special’. Motta said of the striker: “Joshua is Joshua, he’s special. I hope he continues like this and I won’t compare him to anyone.

“He plays well but above all he works, I will never stop saying that from the first day of training camp, he has always been the first to work and has become a leader. He must continue like this and we must help him continue like this because this is on the right path.”