Romano also said Jesus’s agent and Arsenal have had positive discussions and are only waiting for the Man City striker to make his mind up
By Kehinde Okeowo
Arsenal are in the transfer market for a proven striker after losing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona in January and with Alexandre Lacazette’s refusal to sign a new contract.
Although The Gunners have been able to convince academy graduate, Edward Nketiah to sign a 5 years extension to his contract at the Emirates, he is not seen as the first-choice striker but as a long-term prospect.
According to several reports from England, Arsenal gaffer, Mikel Arteta, has been concentrating on Man City’s Gabriel Jesus and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, with a few mentions of other possible backup strikers.
But transfer Guru, Fabrizio Romano, has hinted that Arsenal have shown no interest in Osimhen whatsoever and are concentrating all their efforts on securing Gabriel Jesus’ signature before considering looking at other possible targets.
AlSO READ: Liverpool slams £35m on Senegalese striker, Sadio Mane
The Italian football transfer expert made the revelation while granting an exclusive interview with CaughtOffside recently.
He also asserted that contrary to the impression that Arsenal is pursuing both Jesus and Osimhen, the Gunners boss is only focusing on the Brazilian for now.
He added that Napoli and Arsenal are unlikely to do business given the Nigerian price tag, while also intimating that Jesus’s agent and Arsenal have had positive discussions about a deal and are only waiting for the Man City striker.
Romano said, “As of today, I am not aware of an advanced negotiation for Victor Osimhen to Arsenal. Napoli have no intention to negotiate for less than €100million for the Nigerian striker and so far there is no proposal on the table, sources close to the club guarantee.
“Napoli are always tough negotiators in the transfer market, and their mission will be to try to keep Osimhen for another season.
“Personally, I’m not even convinced he is as much of a target for Arsenal as other reports would have you believe.
“For now, the Gunners are waiting for answers from Gabriel Jesus after positive talks with his agent. The Brazilian is the priority target for Mikel Arteta, but also interests other clubs. We can expect a final decision to come soon, and Manchester City are asking for a €50-60m fee for Gabriel.”
Arsenal fans will be hoping Gabriel Jesus will buy into Arteta’s project and opt to play Europa League football with the North London club next season, given the offers from teams playing in the Champions League.
