Arsenal’s fourth signing of the summer is on its way with a deal between them and Chelsea said to be in place for Noni Madueke. The 23-year-old will be the second player after Kepa Arrizabalaga to join the club from the Blues this summer and while his signing is not all that exciting, the Gunners are working hard to close in on a striker’s purchase soon, a development that fans following transfer news and football betting on platforms like Ufabet will be watching closely.
Sporting Lisbon superstar Viktor Gyokeres is the leading candidate and RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko is thought to be the alternative option to the Swedish international.
According to TBR Football, Arsenal have a third option on their shortlist in Aston Villa’s number nine Ollie Watkins although they would only sign him in case they fail to acquire one of their primary two choices.
Watkins would ‘love’ to join the Gunners, as per the source, and was also linked with them in the winter. Though Arsenal were prepared to match Villa’s £60 million asking price for the English international, a swoop did not materialise midway through the season, though that has not deterred the Londoners from keeping tabs on him this time around.
Arsenal unlikely to need Watkins
Ollie Watkins is not Arsenal’s priority and given how negotiations are going with Viktor Gyokeres, the Gunners would be confident enough by now that they can secure the Sporting Lisbon hitman’s signatures.
He has refused to train with the Portuguese giants in a bid to force a move to the Emirates Stadium, while the two clubs remain in talks to close out a deal.
Having said that, personal terms between Arsenal and Gyokeres have also been agreed. The financial details of his contract are yet to be known although what has emerged is that the 27-year-old will commit to the Premier League giants for five years.
In the very unlikely event that his transfer fails, the Gunners have maintained touch with Benjamin Sesko’s camp as an alternative.
There has been a lot of murmur around Ollie Watkins’ future in recent weeks although it is unlikely to see him at Arsenal next season considering the good progress they have made in the direction of their priority target.
It will be exciting to see if Gyokeres joins the club in time for their pre-season trip to Hong Kong and Singapore next week or if talks extend into late-July.
