The Gunners still consider Gabriel Jesus their top target despite missing out on Champions League football next season, reports The Athletic. However, the club are also eyeing alternatives in Italy.
Rumours broke of the Gunners’ interest in the Manchester City striker last month while they were still hunting for a UEFA Champions League spot for the subsequent season. Mikel Arteta’s side have failed to hit that mark but, nevertheless, plans to move forward with their interest in the Brazilian.
As per the report, Arsenal are hoping to bring City to the negotiations since Jesus’s contract expires in one year – and the Citizens have already planned ahead by signing Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez.
Furthermore, the 25-year-old has worked with both the club’s technical director Edu Gaspar and manager Arteta in the past, giving the North Londoners a slight edge in the negotiating process with other teams also keen to explore the signing. Tottenham, too, were linked with the player recently.
According to 90MIN, City are still hoping to convince Jesus to stay at the Etihad this summer. The Premier League champions are keen to hold onto the player and are looking for a solution regarding the same. Should he refuse to sign for Arsenal this summer, the Gunners will need to look for alternatives elsewhere. They are facing a striker exodus, with Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah both set to leave.
To that end, reports The Athletic, Arsenal have identified several alternatives in Serie A. The North Londoners looked to Italy this past January when rumors linked them to the then ACF Fiorentina forward Dusan Vlahovic and Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez.
The Argentine remains a target, as does former Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham, whom the Gunners courted last summer before he chose to move to Rome. Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Sassuolo’s Gianluca Scamacca are also seen as alternatives that Arteta and his team might pursue should they fail to land any of their first-choice forwards.
