Andrea Berta’s lack of a ‘nurtured relationship’ with the agent of Arsenal’s top striker target has forced the Gunners to ‘explore’ two alternatives ‘in recent days’.
Andrea Berta and Mikel Arteta are working to bolster the Arsenal squad in what they promised would be a “big” transfer window this summer.
Kepa Arrizabalaga is the only officially confirmed signing this summer after Arsenal triggered his £5m release clause to land him from Chelsea, but Martin Zubimendi is expected to be announced on Thursday while Christian Norgaard’s transfer from Brentford is set to be completed next week.
Arsenal are also interested in Eberechi Eze and could “wrap up” his signing “in the next hour” if they wanted to, but as has been the case in their bid to sign a new striker, Berta is playing the miser.
The Gunners have been dragging their heels over a move for either RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko or Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres over their asking prices, both believed to be around the £70m mark.
More progress appears to have been made in their bid to land Gyokeres in recent days amid reports of a five-year deal being agreed with the Sweden international, who is desperately pushing for a move to the Emirates, and BBC Sport has detailed why there’s been a move away from Sesko, who for a long time was thought to be Mikel Arteta’s first-choice option.
The report claims that a Sesko’s agent, Elvis Basanovic, ‘developed a strong relationship with former sporting directors Edu and Jason Ayto’ and that those ‘nurtured relationships are no longer relevant’ with Berta in charge of transfers.
It’s not for the want of trying on the part of Berta, who ‘invited Basanovic to Arsenal’s final home game of the season against Newcastle as a guest of the club’, but the deal has hit an ‘impasse’ despite the move for Sesko having ‘substantial backing from key figures at the Emirates – including Arteta’.
It’s claimed Arsenal’s ‘focus on other targets’ could be a ‘strategic ploy’ to see if Sesko and his agent ‘will accept more favourable terms’ for the Gunners, but ‘significantly, the signing of Gyokeres is understood to have Berta’s backing’.
‘Gyokeres was not a strong target for Arsenal prior to Berta’s arrival earlier this year but he believes the 27-year-old could make an instant impact’, the report adds.
But it’s further claimed that the Gunners have also ‘explored move’ for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins ‘in recent days’ so as not to put all their eggs in one basket.
Arsenal failed in a £40m bid for the England international in January, refusing to meet Villa’s £60m demand, which reportedly stands amid interest from Manchester United.