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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was blown away by Pio Esposito’s cameo performance (Picture: Getty)
Mikel Arteta reportedly told Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta to gather information on Pio Esposito after the club’s Champions League clash with Inter Milan in January.
Arsenal bolstered their attack with the marquee £64million signing of Viktor Gyokeres last summer and the striker has gone on to score 15 goals in his opening 37 appearances for the Gunners.
However, it appears the Premier League leaders already have one eye on the next transfer window with a view to further strengthening their frontline.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Esposito both ‘frightened and fascinated’ Arteta during Arsenal’s league phase tie with Inter Milan and the young centre-forward has ‘remained in the eyes and thoughts’ of Arsenal ever since.
Esposito started on the substitutes bench that night at the San Siro but came on in place of Lautaro Martinez in the 63rd minute and earned himself plenty of admirers with his cameo performance in a 3-1 defeat.
Such was Esposito’s impact, Arteta felt compelled to send on Gabriel Magalhaes for Cristhian Mosquera, who had endured a torrid time and struggled to contain the big 20-year-old attacker.
It’s claimed Arteta immediately spoke to Arsenal chief Berta after the game and the latter ‘quickly contacted’ Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio to learn whether Esposito was for sale and how much a potential agreement might cost.
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Esposito came on and gave Mosquera a torrid time at the San Siro (Picture: Getty)
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Inter told Arsenal they had ‘no chance’ of sealing a deal for the young striker (Picture: Getty)
Inter responded ‘without even thinking’, though, informing Berta that Esposito was central cog in their plans for the future and was not on the market for any price.
The report adds that Inter ‘clearly refused’ while ‘putting up a front’, making it abundantly clear to Arsenal that there was ‘no chance’ of a closing a deal for the young Italy international.
Esposito himself is said to be ‘aiming to earn a spot on the world stage with Inter’ and is not even considering the prospect of leaving Inter, especially with star striker Martinez currently out injured.
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Having joined Inter’s academy back in 2014, Esposito has long been tipped for a glittering future with the Nerazzurri – and a loan move to Serie B outfit Spezia proved to be the making of the forward.
An impressive tally of 17 league goals from Esposito nearly helped Spezia gain promotion last season, two years after the club were relegated from the Italian top flight.
It earned Esposito a recall to Inter’s first-team squad in the summer and the towering 6 ft 3 in centre-forward has gone from strength to strength while netting seven times for his boyhood team across an eye-catching campaign.
FC Internazionale v Genoa CFC - Serie A
The forward has scored seven goals in all competitions for Inter this term (Picture: Getty)
Inter secured Esposito on a modest salary of around €1million-a-season (£800,000-a-season) until 2030 prior to the Club World Cup – a deal that will need to be negotiated should big teams like Arsenal continue to sniff around the youngster.
Esposito has established himself as a clear favourite under Cristian Chivu since returning to the San Siro, despite not yet nailing down his place as a regular starter.
‘It’s the merit of a boy who wants to prove himself,’ the Inter Milan boss Chivu recently said of Pio Esposito’s meteoric rise.
Pio Esposito (L) and head coach Cristian Chivu (R) of Inter
Esposito shares a close relationship with Inter boss Chivu (Picture: Getty)
‘He wants to put himself on the line and take responsibility like everyone else: if things don’t go well, it’s my fault.
‘But I like that they follow me and want to make this season what we all hope it can be.’
As the former head coach of Inter Milan’s Primavera academy side, Chivu joked that he had ‘practically grown up’ alongside Pio Esposito.
‘He was a small kid, tall. He barely reached my chest. We’ve practically grown up together,’ he explained.
‘I know his family, I know his background, his journey through the youth system. He was an underage captain in my Inter Primavera team.
‘I’m happy for him, just as I am for the rest of the team.’
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