Arsenal now have their perfect opportunity to land £43m winger who has been told to 'leave now'
Arsenal could now get a clear run to an attacker who looks set for a departure from his current club.
Arsenal are said to have received a big boost in their reported bid to land an attacker this summer. The Gunners are on the lookout for a new winger and striker this summer as they look to fill a void in the striker position and add competition for Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka out wide.
It has been a busy week or so for the Gunners, who have kick started their summer business in a major way. It looks as though Arsenal are now well on their way to signing Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard and Cristhian Mosquera. Those four signings will add serious depth to Mikel Arteta’s squad, and it’s much needed after a season when injuries played a big role in derailing the club’s title efforts.
It looks as though Benjamin Sesko or Viktor Gyokeres will be the striker signings of choice, but nothing has been agreed at this stage. As far as a winger goes, there have been plenty of players linked, but according to recent reports, Atalanta star Ademola Lookman could be a serious option. Lookman has been tipped to return to the Premier League after a successful spell in Italy, and what Arteta will like is that the pacey attacker can play as both a winger and a striker.
According to The Athletic, Atalanta are now preparing for the exit of Lookman by making a new signing, with Kamaldeen Sulemana expected to join from Southampton. That signing will reportedly clear the path for Lookman to move on, and it’s claimed it would take around £43million to get a deal done. Reports have suggested Arsenal have made an approach this summer.
Lookman set for Italy departure
Lookman is said to want to return to the Premier League this summer, but there was a time when he wanted to get away from England. He told The Guardian back in 2021: “Everton wanted me to play my football in England. But I had different ideas. I wanted to go to Germany to embrace a new challenge with a top side in Leipzig and learn a different style of football. A lot had to do with the platform Leipzig have and the football they were playing.
“Ralph Rangnick [Leipzig’s director of football] had been to watch a few of my games at Charlton. He’d known of me for a long time. So I spoke to him and to Ralph Hasenhüttl [then Leipzig’s manager] and they were confident I would do well in the Bundesliga. I had that same belief.”
There has been talk that Atalanta would push Lookman out of the club this summer, and addressing those rumours, ESPN pundit Idah Peterside said in the late spring: “He represents Africa. He should not let this weigh him down and make him drop his performance no matter what the coach says. But this is what I will tell him: 'Leave now, or as soon as possible. We have seen this before and it does not end well. Look at what happened to [Victor] Osimhen. Run before they push you out.'"
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