Arsenal hold interest in arguably the best finisher at Liverpool and a report claims the Reds are willing to do business for the ‘right fee’ after Arne Slot soured on the star.
Another transfer window came and went without Arsenal adding a potent new striker to their squad. The lack of a clinical frontman is widely viewed as Arsenal’s greatest need, with Mikel Arteta himself revealing his disappointment at the club’s failure in the market.
“We had a clear intention which is always when a window opens to explore the opportunities to improve our squad with players that can make an impact,” Arteta said last week.
“With players injured, we’ve been impacted and we haven’t achieved it. We are disappointed in that sense but as well we are very aware that we only want to bring certain kinds of players and we have to be very disciplined with that as well. I think that we were.
“It’s in the profile, a player that we believe can make us much better. Financially there is a lot of ways, a lot of things that we must stay in the lane that has taken us this far and from there try to improve.”
Arsenal bid for Ollie Watkins and explored ambitious moves for Alexander Isak and Benjamin Sesko. But according to an update from Anfield Watch, Arteta’s side may not have to look further than Liverpool for their next centre-forward.
It’s claimed Arsenal showed interest in Liverpool’s Diogo Jota last summer. The Portuguese, 28, is still suggested to be a player on Arsenal’s radar and per the report, he’s now ‘available for the right fee.’
Arsenal could sign Diogo Jota
Reds boss Arne Slot is said to have grown increasingly frustrated with Jota amid his lack of availability.
Jota was quickly installed as Slot’s starting striker at the beginning of the season. However, a rib injury suffered in October opened the door for Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz to take his place.
Jota hasn’t started a Premier League clash since returning to fitness and missed a further two league matches (vs Brentford and Ipswich) in January after suffering another injury setback.
The striker is arguably Liverpool’s most clinical forward when fit, even more so than Mohamed Salah who takes a higher volume of shots to produce his goals.
But with Jota now 28 and injuries remaining a constant source of frustration, Anfield Watch state he could be let go in the summer.
At that point, Jota will only have two years remaining on his deal and it’s questionable as to whether Liverpool will offer an extension.
Arsenal – who bid for 29-year-old Watkins in January – have shown a willingness to sign older players who can make an instant impact.
The big concern for Arsenal if they did make a move would be Jota’s patchy injury record. Furthermore, the report concluded that while Liverpool are open to a sale, they would likely request a premium from Arsenal given their status as a direct title rival.
Latest Arsenal news – Seven stars leaving?
In other news, The Daily Mirror have claimed Arteta could axe as many as seven first-team stars to help fund a major summer splurge.
Firstly, it’s claimed loan pair, Neto and Raheem Sterling, will not return to the Emirates once their spells conclude.
Kieran Tierney, Jorginho and Thomas Partey are all expected to depart via free agency. Tierney has already signed a pre-contract agreement with former club Celtic, while Jorginho could return to Brazil by way of Flamengo.
Finally, defensive duo Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior are available for sale after falling completely out of favour in north London. The pair have started a combined four league games this season.