Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta appears to have been turned down by another striker as he aims to fill the void left by former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Gunners boss has his heart set on bringing in at least one new forward during the summer transfer window, with Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah looking increasingly likely to leave when their contracts expire at the end of the season. And former Chelsea forward Alavaro Morata has reportedly given the club a "sharp no" after they contacted him over a move.
It comes as club legend Ian Wright dealt the club a serious hit to their top four hopes by insisting there is "no way" they can steal a Champions League spot from bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur. And Emmanuel Petit "completely agrees" that the Gunners need a host of new players before they can start challenging for silverware.
Here are Mirror Football's latest Arsenal headlines.
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Petit backs Arteta transfer plans
Arsenal icon Emmanuel Petit has backed Gunners boss Mikel Arteta's plans for another busy summer in the transfer market.
Arteta enjoyed a highly productive summer last year, breaking the club's spending record as he brought in the likes of Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, Martin Odegaard, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Nuno Tavares and Takehiro Tomiyasu for a combined total of £149million. Arteta is widely believed to want seven signings this summer, and Petit agrees with the Gunners boss as the current Arsenal squad "has some quality, but not enough to compete with Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea".
Top four hopes take hit
Arsenal's top four hopes have taken a hit as club legend Ian Wright has insisted "there's no we can stay in that top four".
The Gunners have seen their hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League falter in recent weeks after disappointing defeats to Crystal Palace and Brighton – just as bitter north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have hit their stride under Antonio Conte. That has seen Mikel Arteta's side slip to fifth place in the Premier League table, three points behind Spurs but with an inferior goal difference.
And Wright has bemoaned the club's lack of goals and insisted that without injured trio Takehiro Tomiyasu, Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney there's "no way" they can stay in the hunt for a top four place.
Arteta suffers striker setback
Mikel Arteta's search for a new striker appears to have suffered another setback after the Arsenal boss was reportedly given a "sharp no" by Alvaro Morata.
The Gunners tried to bring in Serbian forward Dusan Vlahovic in the January transfer window but the forward instead opted to join Italian giants Juventus rather than move to the Premier League club. That is said to have led to Arteta turning his attention to his Juventus teammate Morata, although reports coming out of Italy suggest the striker has no intention of returning to English football following a tricky spell at Chelsea between 2017 and 2020.
It means the club could face a difficult summer transfer window as they look to land a new forward capable of firing towards silverware.
