Arsenal have reportedly opened talks over a deal to sign Stuttgart forward Nick Woltemade, as per Caught Offside.
After enduring yet another trophyless campaign last term, it was thought that the Gunners would remain busy this summer to close the gap with Liverpool by bolstering the squad.
However, they haven’t been moving decisively in the market so far, while their potential title competitors, Liverpool and Manchester City, have already started making moves. It was previously reported that they were close to signing Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, but the player recently denied the claim.
Moreover, it has widely been reported that the North London club want a new striker. They have been linked with numerous names, with Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko being among them. But, it is not clear who they actually want.
Still, the window has just opened and Arsenal have plenty of time to hire their primary targets before the start of next season.
Now, Caught Offside state that Arsenal are interested in Woltemade to strengthen the No.9 position following his promising performances in the Bundesliga last term.
Woltemade to Arsenal
The North London club have already held talks with Stuttgart to enquire about the details of signing him, and the German side have slapped a £42m price tag on his head with his existing deal set to run until 2028.
The report claim that Arsenal are perhaps looking at Woltemade as a second fiddle option and may hire a more established striker as well, with Sesko and Gyokeres on their radar.
However, the player has a host of potential suitors as Liverpool, West Ham United, Brighton and Hove Albion, Everton, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Napoli, and Roma are also keen on signing him and have also held initial talks over this deal.
The player might even opt not to join big clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool, as he wants to play regularly, so West Ham or Brighton might be a more appealing destination for him.
Woltemade made 20 goal contributions for Stuttgart last term and also propelled them to become DFB Pokal champions. Following that, he was selected to play for Germany in the Nations League semi-final game against Portugal and made his debut last night.