REUTERS/Chris Radburn
Arsenal have regularly been linked with a move for Nigeria talisman Victor Osimhen over recent years and it is proving to be the transfer story that simply will not go away.
The Gunners cruised past Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday afternoon, picking up a 3-0 win with summer signing Christos Tzolis shining as he picked up two assists.
Mikel Arteta's side look to be in fine form ahead of the 2026/27 Premier League campaign without a huge amount of summer spending - a total of £110million splurged on Tzolis and Bruno Guimaraes. However, the Gunners are not expected to be ending their spending there.
Victor Osimhen would not turn down Arsenal transfer approach
victor osimhen
A marquee move for Osimhen before the close of the window would certainly be head-turning, but Turkish journalist Serdar Ali Çelikler has claimed on NEO Spor that there is 'no chance' the striker would reject an approach from the Gunners.
Those comments come after the 27-year-old gave a non-committal response to his future, despite only arriving at Galatasaray on a permanent basis from Napoli last summer.
Speaking after bagging a brace in the 2-2 home draw with Corum FK, Osimhen refused to rule out a move to the Premier League. He said:
Galatasaray are believed to have floated the idea of a swap deal to Arsenal this summer with interest in Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri, despite conflicting reports that the Turkish outfit will not allow the player to leave.
Arsenal do remain in the market for additional firepower. The Gunners have fallen short in attempts to sign Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid and Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, with both of those transfer debacles unfolding after the London outfit had already signed Tzolis.
The fees of over £115million commanded by those players are higher than the reported £60million price tag put on Osimhen, making the imposing striker a cut-price option.
Arsenal spent £55million on Viktor Gyokeres last summer but, despite 21 goals in his first season, Arteta opted for Kai Havertz to lead the line against Manchester City at the weekend. Osimhen would offer competition for the duo.
When asked about transfers after the win, Arteta replied: "We know that there are certain areas that, through injuries, we are weaker and we need to strengthen.
"‘We are trying to do that, we’ve been trying to do that for weeks, so only the right opportunity and the club is available to do it, we will do it."