Arsenal To Hijack Rivals £26m Move For 20-Goal South American Striker

The opening of the summer transfer window is now open for business so we’ll bring you all the latest transfer rumours and gossip from around the globe. Today, Arsenal are linked with Carlos Bacca….

Arsenal are ready to hijack West Ham’s £26m move for AC Milan striker Carlos Bacca as Arsene Wenger desperately tries to bring in another forward this summer, according to a report in the Express.

The boss has already splashed out on midfielder Granit Xhaka while a deal is in place to sign Japanese youngster Takuma Asano but we still need a top class striker after missing out on Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy last month.

Big-money names such as Gonzalo Higuain, Alvaro Morata and Alexandre Lacazette have all been linked with a move to the Emirates in recent weeks but it seems Wenger could be about to turn his attention to a fresh target.

The Express are citing reports coming out of Italy from Gazaetta dello Sport that claim Arsenal are now ready to try and hijack West Ham’s attempts to sign Colombian international hitman Carlos Bacca.

The Hammers have been desperate to land a top name striker ahead of their move to the Olympic Stadium this summer and the newspaper says they’ve tested AC Milan’s resolve with a £26m bid for Bacca, but Arsenal could now provide stiff competition for his signature.

Bacca burst on to the scene here in Europe after enjoying a superb two-year spell in Spain with Sevilla where he scored 49 goals in 108 appearances before earning a move to the San Siro last summer.

The 29-year-old has continued his excellent form in front of goal after netting 20 goals in 42 games for the Italian giants but he couldn’t prevent Milan from finishing way down in seven place in the Serie A table.

With no European football to look forward to next season, Bacca has been linked with a move this summer and the striker fuelled the speculation after being quoted as saying by the Express that he’s set to hold talks with Milan officials as he wants to play in the Champions League.

“It’s my dream to play in Champions League and work toward winning it.

“Unfortunately, the failure for Milan to reach the tournament is one of the themes of our discussions with the club.”

It sounds as though Bacca may look to leave Milan in search of Champions League football this summer and if that turns out to be the case, then we would be in pole position ahead of West Ham if the striker wants to try his luck in the Premier League.

We’ll have to wait and see how things develop over the coming days but I personally think Wenger will only make a formal move for Bacca if he can’t land any of his more serious targets this summer.

READ MORE –> Arsenal transfer news

The Colombian international is a good goalscorer but I don’t think he’s on the same level as someone like of Higuain so I’d like to think the boss will do all he can to sign a top class striker before settling for the likes of Bacca.