Kroenke ready to back Arteta in market as Arsenal target move to sign £50m star

Owner Stan Kroenke is ready to back Mikel Arteta in his search for a new striker with the Arsenal boss eyeing Dominic Calvert Lewin and Ollie Watkins, according to The Sun.

The Gunners owner has been heavily criticised by the fans in recent years for his lack of support but the American businessman loosened the purse-strings last summer after allowing Arteta to spend close to £150m on six new signings.

However, Arteta knows the squad still needs further work and Arsenal are expected to dip into the transfer market to bring in another top class striker with two of their current forwards approaching the end of their contracts.

Eddie Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette were both linked with moves away from the Emirates Stadium last summer as they’re now in the final year of their deals and aren’t expected to sign extensions.

The duo ended up staying at in north London but with January approaching, rumours have already started and Arsenal will need to cash-in this winter or risk losing them for nothing when their contracts expire next year.

Nketiah’s exit will be covered by the emergence of highly-rated youngster Folarin Balogun but Arteta knows he’ll need to bring in a top class replacement for Lacazette when the Frenchman departs.

According to The Sun, owner Stan Kroenke is ready to back Arteta once again in the market to bring in another striker and the Arsenal boss has identified Calvert-Lewin as a potential target to fill Lacazette’s boots.

The 24-year-old has been hugely impressive at Everton and would fit to mould of the type of talented young player Arteta has been targeting as he looks to build a squad capable of challenging in years to come.

However, Calvert-Lewin won’t come cheap as The Sun suggests it would take an offer of at least £50m to tempt Everton into a deal after the striker committed himself to Goodison Park by signing a long-term deal last year.

The newspaper says Arteta wants a proven young forward with Premier League experience so Calvert-Lewin would fit the bill perfectly but Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has also been identified as a possible target.

Watkins has also impressed since joining Villa last year in a £28m deal and has broken into the England squad so the 25-year-old would command a sizeable fee to lure him away from Villa Park.

We’ll have to wait and see how things progress over the coming months but if Lacazette does leave Arsenal in January, it appears Arteta is eyeing ambitious moves for Calvert-Lewin or Watkins in his search for a replacement.