Lautaro Martinez has made his feelings clear on a potential transfer to Arsenal this summer after they renewed their interest in the player.
The Gunners tried to prise the Argentine away from Inter Milan last year after Mikel Arteta made signing a striker a must in the summer. A deal failed to take off and Arsenal went without signing anyone up front.
Instead, they relied on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah but there is a real danger that all three will not be present next season. Barcelona have already snapped up the former when the Gabon international's contract was ripped up in January.
And the remaining two, Lacazette and Nketiah, will see their contracts expire at the end of the season and negotiations to renew their deals have proved fruitless. It paves the way for their exits this summer, leaving Arteta without a recognised striker.
It is no surprise to see why Arsenal have made bringing one in a priority ahead of the next transfer window. And after trying so hard to sign Martinez from Inter, another raid is set to be reignited despite strong interest from Manchester United, according to The Times.
A move failed to get off the ground last year with the forward not interested in moving to a club where there was no Champions League football. But that looks set to change ahead of next year with the Gunners favourites to land fourth ahead of Tottenham and United.
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And that remains the case ahead of the summer, meaning that the pressure is on for Arsenal to beat their Premier League rivals to the top four. Inter Milan are prepared to cash in on the 24-year-old and has priced him as high as £70million.
Martinez is not the only target on Arteta's shortlist while the Spaniard is keen to bring in at least two strikers to bolster his squad. With extra football on the way, whether in the Champions League or the Europa League, he knows that he will need as many options as possible.
While Martinez will be the priority, the arrival of Gabriel Jesus is almost expected at the Emirates ahead of Erling Haaland's prospective move to Manchester City. The 21-year-old's impending signing at the Etihad will further push the Brazilian down the pecking order under Pep Guardiola, despite a late flurry of goals including four against Watford.
Martienez has scored 54 times for Inter Milan in 132 Serie A matches since signing from Racing Club four years ago while matching his total of 17 already from last season. The San Siro outfit won their first Scudetto in a decade last season and are gunning to defend their crown this campaign.
