Arsenal are only looking to sign one striker ahead of next season after renewing the contract of Eddie Nketiah. It looks as though Gabriel Jesus will be the forward that Mikel Arteta opts to sign with the player having agreed to personal terms according to Ben Jacobs from CBS Sports when speaking to ' The Football Terrace '.
A possible reason why Arsenal are only signing one striker this summer is that they could have a strategy in place for the next summer transfer window to sign Christopher Nkunku. The Frenchman has agreed to a new contract with Leipzig, which keeps him at the club for at least another season.
The Gunners were linked to signing the former Paris Saint-Germain star, but the failure to qualify for the Champions League would have made his acquisition extremely difficult. Now, Arsenal will have another season to claim a place in Europe’s elite competition before attempting to sign Nkunku.
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It was confirmed that Nkunku signed a new contract on Thursday morning with his current deal being extended until 2026. More interestingly from an Arsenal point of view, the Frenchman also has a £51m release clause which becomes active from next year according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, meaning he can be signed for a bargain deal.
Nkunku would certainly be a great addition for the forward department, and it seems that Edu agrees, as according to French news outlet Foot Mercato, Arsenal have shown an interest in signing the RB Leipzig player. However, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in potentially signing him.
The Gunners were heavily linked to the Frenchman in the January window of 2019 when he was still a player at Paris Saint-Germain. Since Arsenal failed to sign him, Nkunku has gone on to become of Europe's most attractive players, and it would make sense for Edu to register interest in him once again.
The 24-year-old has played in 51 games this season and scored an impressive 35 goals alongside providing 20 assists in these games. Nine of these goal contributions had come from matches in the Champions League, showing that Nkunku can compete at an elite level.
Securing Nkunku's services will be anything but easy, as French news outlet L'Equipe has also reported that several top clubs around Europe are also interested in signing him. But if Arsenal manage to pull off a potential deal, Arteta's squad would certainly be enhanced.
Nkunku's versatility across the midfield and the forward positions makes him a very attractive signing. The incentive to sign him should have increased for Arsenal after Thierry Henry’s recent comments about the Frenchman.
Speaking to CBS Sports about Nkunku, Henry said: "Yes I do love watching him. Goals and assists. He is just having fun this season. But he is adding goals this year.
"He’s in the national team now. His confidence… the world wants him."
Nkunku would certainly be an excellent acquisition for the Gunners. Arteta’s side have another to qualify for the Champions League so they have a realistic chance of securing him for a bargain £51m deal.
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