Arsenal may turn to Dominic Solanke in their summer search for a striker [David Horton/SPP]
ARSENAL could be about to do battle with north London rivals Tottenham in a bid to solve their striker crisis with both clubs rumoured to be interested in signing AFC Bournemouth goal-bagger Dominic Solanke.
It’s little surprise that Solanke has become highly sought-after this summer having proven his Premier League pedigree last season when he scored 19 top-flight goals for the Cherries.
Only Manchester City marksman Erling Haaland, Chelsea’s attacking midfielder Cole Palmer and Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak managed more.
Spurs have long been linked with the 26-year-old with manager Ange Postecoglou keen to add more firepower to his squad. But with Arsenal also searching for a striker, Tottenham could now face competition – igniting a race to see which club will act quickest to meet Solanke’s release clause, which is believed to be in the region of £65m.
As is the case with every transfer window there’s been no shortage of names linked with a move to the Emirates. Solanke joins a growing list that already includes Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres, Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.
Mikel Arteta acknowledged the cost of not having a lethal finisher up front following Arsenal’s pre-season loss to Liverpool. Speaking after the 2-1 defeat in Philadelphia, the Gunners boss said: “The game would have been very different if the first chance that we had, we scored.
“It makes the difference when you’re in those areas, in those spaces in the box, putting the ball in the back of the net. We created a situation, we had another two or three big open situations to go better but we didn’t, so we have to improve.”
Scoring goals didn’t seem to be a problem last night (Wednesday) however when Arsenal thrashed
Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 at the Emirates. In fact the Gunners even shared the goals around with Oleksandr Zinchenko, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz all hitting the back of the net.
Ashburton Grove will be bouncing again this Sunday when another sell-out home crowd turns out in force to see the Gunners tackle Olympique Lyonnais in the Emirates Cup in what will be the club’s final warm-up match before hosting Wolves in their Premier League opener on August 17.
As it stands it seems unlikely that Arsenal will add to their squad before the new campaign gets underway.
However, there is one bit of business that could be done in time for the big kick-off.
Arteta and the club’s sporting director Edu have reportedly been plotting a move for Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino, who played a crucial role in Spain’s triumph at Euro 2024. The two clubs have yet to open negotiations, but it wouldn’t take long to thrash out a deal for the 28-year-old, which could cost around £26m.
Arsenal are short in midfield with Thomas Partey expected to follow Emile Smith Rowe out of the club.
