Arsenal have been handed a major transfer boost in their pursuit of former Manchester City winger Leroy Sane, according to reports.
The Gunners look set to be Premier League runners-up for a third season in a row after Liverpool were confirmed as title winners last month.
Mikel Arteta’s side didn’t really get near Liverpool at any point in the second half of the season and are currently 15 points behind after drawing 2-2 at Anfield on Sunday.
Arsenal have only scored 66 goals in the Premier League this season with two games left, compared to the 91 they bagged in the league last term.
The Gunners have struggled for goals in the second half of the campaign with makeshift striker Mikel Merino doing well in an unorthodox role for the midfielder.
Merino and Leandro Trossard both played as centre-forward after Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus both picked up season-ending injuries earlier in the year.
READ: Antony and De Bruyne to Arsenal? Six Premier League rejects Mikel Arteta should consider signing
Even before that there was a consensus that Arsenal – who reached the Champions League semi-final before being knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain – need to bring in a new top-class striker in the summer transfer window in order to settle tight games and help them challenge on all fronts.
That looks like it will happen with Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres one of a number of strikers linked – but there are also calls to improve their wide areas too.
Former Man City star Sane has been heavily linked and now Football Insider claim that the Germany international ‘has switched agents in a major boost to Arsenal’s hopes of landing the winger’.
Sane has been a top-class performer for Bayern in his five years at the club but he is set to leave on a free transfer after ‘rejecting multiple offers’ to renew at the Allianz Arena.
The German has already worked under Arsenal boss Arteta at Man City and the Premier League side ‘have sat up and taken notice of the Germany international’s contract situation’.
MORE ARSENAL COVERAGE ON F365…
👉Gyokeres too old, too big, too striker-ish for Arsenal? The nonsense debunked
👉Arsenal ‘told’ top striker target Viktor Gyokeres is ‘all theirs’ on one condition
👉Arsenal, Liverpool ‘ready to trigger’ £50m release clause but transfer target ‘dreams’ of Real Madrid
Former Arsenal defender Nigel Winterburn doubts buying a new striker will solve all of the Gunners’ problems from this season as they don’t create enough.
Winterburn told BetVictor: “The solution to Arsenal’s problems isn’t as simple as signing a new striker. You can buy a new striker, but if you aren’t creating enough opportunities then he won’t help. A striker is someone who you really want to make the difference in the big moments, scoring important goals.
“I say the same about goalkeepers – you want them to make important saves in big games. You see a lot of strikers around Europe scoring huge amounts of goals, but the ones you remember are in the big games.
“I do still think they need to look at that area, though. That said, they still need to make sure they are doing everything else right, because if you’re not stable defensively and you’re not creating chances, then a striker isn’t going to solve anything.
“Each section of the pitch has to be right and the mentality of the players has to be there, as it has been for large periods under Mikel Arteta.”