Arsenal have made contact with a marquee forward via his representatives, with the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich also pursuing his signature ahead of the next summer transfer window.
Arsenal left short of attackers after injuries to key players
Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus are both out for the rest of the season at Arsenal, with Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka also unavailable until April through injury – leaving manager Mikel Arteta with precious few options.
Arsenal told new Alexander Isak price tag in boost for Mikel Arteta
He’s a reported top target for the Gunners.
ByEmilio GalantiniFeb 18, 2025
The Gunners attempted to rectify their attacking shortage in January, making a bid for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins (David Ornstein), while it is believed Arsenal are already making serious headway in pursuit of Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams ahead of the summer.
They were also briefly tipped to enter the free market for a more immediate solution, with Arteta refusing to rule out the signing of an out-of-contract striker ahead of their 2-0 win at Leicester City, but their options in that regard are extremely limited.
West Ham (home)
February 22nd
Nottingham Forest (away)
February 26th
Man United (away)
March 9th
Chelsea (home)
March 16th
Fulham (home)
April 1st
Mikel Merino came off the bench to play the role against Leicester, with the Spaniard’s late brace proving heroic as Arsenal kept their outside hopes of a Premier League title alive.
Arteta started a front three of Leandro Trossard, Ethan Nwaneri and Raheem Sterling at the King Power Stadium, but the latter proved ineffective with Merino replacing him on the 69-minute mark to great effect.
Now, interim sporting director Jason Ayto and the Arsenal recruitment team are looking to ensure that Arteta isn’t left short of world-class attacking options ahead of the next campaign and another potential challenge for domestic glory.
One of their potential targets this summer, according to The Boot Room and journalist Graeme Bailey, is Bayer Leverkusen superstar Florian Wirtz.
The Germany international has scored 15 goals and bagged 12 assists in all competitions under Xabi Alonso this season, attracting attention from some of Europe’s elite sides, including Arsenal.
Arsenal in contact with Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz
According to Bailey, Arsenal are in contact with Wirtz and his representatives ahead of a possible move. However, both Real and Bayern pose major competition, as it is believed the Bundesliga and La Liga heavyweights are both pushing increasingly hard to tempt the 21-year-old with a move away from the BayArena.
The attacking midfielder hasn’t ruled out a move to the Premier League, though, amid this dialogue with Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City – as the English trio attempt to entice him with a transfer to Europe’s most coveted division.
Wirtz is widely expected to leave Leverkusen this summer, even if the Bundesliga champions are apparently convinced he could still pen fresh terms.
If clubs wish to strike a deal for him, Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro is on record stating that they won’t entertain bids any lower than £125 million.
“No one is unsellable,” said Carro to Radio Marca last year. “But, Wirtz will not leave for less than €150m.”
