In spite of being keen on an offensive addition apart from Christos Tzolis, Arsenal failed to materialise their interest in one of the several players they had been linked with for much of the summer transfer window.
Having missed out on Vinicius Junior last month after the Brazilian international renewed his contract at Real Madrid, Julian Alvarez also refused to join the Gunners from Atletico Madrid a week ago.
Daily Mail has now reported that Arsenal also failed in an attempt to sign Lautaro Martinez from Inter Milan. As per the source, Gabriel Heinze spoke with his compatriot but the Nerazzurri firmly rebuffed the Londoners’ approach for their captain.
Martinez’s contract at the Giuseppe Meazza runs for three more years, so Inter have all the bargaining power and control over the striker’s future, and maintained a similar stance when Barcelona also expressed an interest in his purchase.
Arsenal may end up moving on from Gyokeres soon
Viktor Gyokeres did not have the best of first seasons for Arsenal and it is fair to believe Mikel Arteta has somewhat moved on from the Swedish international just 12 months after his arrival with Kai Havertz now trusted as the team’s number nine.
With that said, Havertz’s fitness record is not the most promising neither is he a natural centre forward, so the Gunners’ pursuit of Julian Alvarez and interest in Lautaro Martinez suggests they may bring in another number nine sooner rather than later.
Lautaro Martinez would have been an excellent addition to their squad. He is a clinical finisher, works relentlessly without the ball and has intelligent movement in the box. The 29-year-old’s experience at the top level would have been a cherry on the top.
On Transfermarkt, he is valued at £73 million and next year, as he enters his 30s and the last couple of years on his contract, it will be interesting to see if Arsenal remain keen on his services and whether he wishes to pursue a challenge in the Premier League having won it all on the domestic stage in Italy.
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