Arsenal could sign a league's "standout" forward for just £25 million, with Mikel Arteta's side holding a serious interest in what would be a bargain transfer.
Arsenal drop points away to Fulham in Premier League title blow
Following an imperious run of four wins in four games across all competitions in the build up to their visit to Craven Cottage, many fancied an in-form Arsenal side to do the business in west London and make up ground on Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Joao Pedro Brighton Related
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He would be an expensive addition to Mikel Arteta's attack.
However, Raul Jimenez was on hand to give the home side an early advantage and send a very clear message to Arteta that this wasn't going to be a routine afternoon by any means.
The Mexican's strike kept Sunday's score at 1-0 for a large portion of the contest, but Arsenal's potency from set-plays was on hand to rescue the Gunners yet again around 10 minutes into the second period, when star defender William Saliba tucked home a close-range effort from a corner.
Arsenal's next five Premier League games Date
Everton (home) December 14
Crystal Palace (away) December 21
Ipswich Town (home) December 27
Brentford (away) January 1
Brighton (away) January 4
Thomas Partey missed a glaring opportunity to give Arsenal the lead from another corner - failing to bury a header unmarked - before Bukayo Saka had a late winner chalked off due to Gabriel Martinelli being in an offside position from his cross into the box.
Arsenal couldn't find a winner despite all of their efforts to break a resolute Fulham side down, in what was a real blow for Arteta, who also watched Chelsea thump north London rivals Tottenham 4-2 to become Liverpool's closest contenders.
mikel-arteta-arsenal-premier-league
"Gutted that we didn’t win it, because I think we deserved to win from the beginning to the end," said Arteta on Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Fulham.
"We did almost everything that we had to do to win it. But this is the quality of the opposition, with one chance they score a goal. And then the margins of the league as well. For millimetres, we could have been sitting here with three points after a really strong and dominant performance against a really good team."
Arteta's struggles to break down a team in the low-block has become a reoccurring theme of the club's season, leading to reports that Arsenal could look to sign another forward in 2025.
Gabriel Jesus is misfiring and failed to make any impact off the bench on Sunday, with Martinelli also criticised at points this season and Leandro Trossard not exactly reaching the heights of 2023/2024.
Arsenal could sign Atalanta star Ademola Lookman for just £25 million
According to GiveMeSport, a player who the club are seriously looking at is Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman.
The ex-Everton star, who ended Bayer Leverkusen's historic unbeaten run with a hat-trick against them in the Europa League final last season, is enjoying quite a year personally - having scored 20 goals in all competitions across 2024 so far.
Ademola Lookman for Atalanta
The Nigerian is seen as one of Serie A's "standout" stars, as per GMS, who also write that Arsenal could sign Lookman for just £25 million - considering his deal expires in 2026 and Atalanta may be forced to sell on the cheap.
It is believed Arsenal hold a "significant" interest in the 27-year-old, alongside a host of other clubs, with Lookman potentially available for a bargain fee. While this transfer is more likely for later in the year, rather than January, it is certainly one worth considering for next season.
It is also worth noting that Lookman employs the same agents as both Kai Havertz and academy manager Per Mertesacker.