Arsenal make move to sign £162,000-a-week star Arteta after U-turn

Arsenal have made a move to sign the £162,000-a-week striker for manager Mikel Arteta, which comes after a turnaround behind the scenes.

Arteta has suggested signing a new striker at Arsenal despite Havertz's form

Kai Havertz sparked his first campaign at Arsenal after a slow start to life at the Emirates last term, impressing in a forward role and ended 2023/2024 with 14 goals and seven assists in all competitions.

Havertz has been praised for his form for Arsenal since the start of the year, which could worry striker Gabriel Jesus, following the Brazilian's poor 23/24 campaign which was marred by fitness issues and a complete lack of form.

Jesus missed 16 Arsenal games through injury last season, all while Havertz grew into his role under Arteta and was respected. To make things even more Jesus-related, there are still reports that Arsenal could look to sign the striker before the summer deadline.

Arteta is rumored to be looking for a strike partner for Havertz, with the Spaniard reportedly looking for an alternative to Jesus. Arsenal attempted a deal to sign RB Leipzig winger Benjamin Sesko earlier this window, but to no avail, with the Slovenian international penning an extension at his current club.

According to various media reports, alternatives to Sesko have since gone from Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres to cheaper options such as Ajax striker Brian Brobbey.

Another target is Napoli star Victor Osimhen, with the Nigerian expected to leave the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium if interested parties can reach an agreement with club president Aurelio De Laurentiis.

Arsenal have been tipped to make a bid for Osimhen, with journalist Ben Jacobs telling GiveMeSport earlier this year that the Gunners have a chance.

“We still cannot exclude Arsenal from the race for Osimhen,” Jacobs said in February.

“It is also true that PSG have Osimhen very, very high on the list of targets and they can leave the market because they will free up money due to the departure of Kylian Mbappe. I am still told by sources that Osimhen's priority is the Premier League, which encourages Chelsea and Arsenal. He will be looking at about -£250,000 a week, which Arsenal, Chelsea and PSG would all be happy to pay.

Arsenal made a new approach to Osimhen after a behind-the-scenes U-turn

Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport have an update on Arsenal's links to Osimhen, saying they have rejoined the race, with Arteta's side seemingly struggling after cooling their interest.

They also claim that Arsenal have made a move to sign Osimhen, who is believed to be on a £162,000-a-week deal at Napoli. The former Lille player's release clause is set at around £109 million, so it remains to be seen whether Edu Gaspar and himself see a price close to this amount worth paying.

Meanwhile, they face competition from PSG and Chelsea, who are also in Osimhen's picture. Former Napoli manager Rudi Garcia described his former star as “a joy to drive”, and this was backed up by his excellent Serie A goalscoring record.