Arsenal face the biggest four days of their season as they seek to keep their silverware hopes alive but in the background, work is ongoing to prepare for next season.
The Gunners are in Germany for a Champions League quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich – with the score tied at 2-2 – before they face Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
Wins are needed in both matches to make sure their campaign is not dead by the end of the week but no matter how things go, expect Arsenal to freshen up the squad in the summer.
One of the main areas of focus continues to be in the attack and intent around signing a new forward is interesting.
Last week, SportsLens revealed how Arsenal are continuing to track £45million-rated Joshua Zirkzee of Bologna and it is also understood that Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig is also a player they continue to monitor closely.
Sesko, 20, has been scouted by the Gunners on various occasions and would be expected to cost £42million if he leaves Leipzig.
He may yet decide on an extra year of development at his current club before moving on, but the fact he is in that same bracket as Zirkzee gives an indication of where they might be looking to spend and at what level.
Zirkzee, 22, has become a more fluid forward this season under Thiago Motta at Bologna but, like Sesko, is a forward that links play well and looks to finish in the style of a typical number nine.
Neither have outstanding numbers in front of goal this season – Zirkzee has 11 goals in 33 games while Sesko has 13 in 37 – yet both have traits that suggest they are going to become more clinical goalscorers at an elite level in the coming seasons.
Arsenal do have their eye on more established scorers – even in the Premier League – but they would all come at a premium.
The Gunners have admiration for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins but are not expected to make a formal move for him, while they have gone cold on Brentford’s Ivan Toney unless he becomes available at a bargain price.
They will keep an eye on Alexander Isak’s situation at Newcastle. And even in terms of other players on the radar – such as Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres – an £86million release clause is somewhat off-putting.
Arsenal have coped well without a typical number nine this season but as part of the way Mikel Arteta and Sporting Director Edu intend to improve the team, there will be even more goal threat in the side next term.
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