Fabrizio Romano reveals Arsenal striker plan amid interest in £42m Serie A star
Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed the plan that Arsenal have for signing a new striker over the next couple of transfer windows.
The Gunners strengthened their defence and midfield over the summer with the signings of Ezri Konsa, Piero Hincapie and Bruno Guimaraes.
Arsenal did bring in Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge to improve their options on the left of attack but they allowed Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus to leave the Emirates Stadium.
Even before the summer, there were reports that Arsenal could look to replace Viktor Gyokeres, who has been leapfrogged by Kai Havertz in the pecking order in north London.
The Gunners have been linked with a move for Monza striker Gustavo Varela after the Portugal Under-21 international started the season on fire, scoring 11 goals in ten appearances in all competitions.
Varela joined Monza from Benfica in the summer for just €2m with A Bola revealing that the Portuguese giants ‘secured 20 percent of any future transfer fee – a percentage that could translate into a very significant windfall if Monza completes the sale, which they could do as early as January’.
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Monza are said to be ‘aiming for a transfer fee in the region of €40m (£33m) to €50m (£42m)’ and Arsenal have been ‘one of the first to enquire’ about the striker.
The report added: ‘Napoli is also closely following the situation, and even Barcelona has joined the list of clubs interested in a possible signing. Arsenal, Napoli, and Barcelona currently lack a striker with Gustavo Varela’s profile, which could further increase the player’s value when the transfer window reopens.’
Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus explained why he called up Varela for his latest international squad: “In the time we spent together before these call-ups, the team had already shown its technical and tactical qualities, as well as a strong bond between the players.
“The fact that many of them had already worked with me gave me an advantage. My real strength is that the players believe in the journey, in the philosophy and in the desire to keep winning.
“As for Fábio Silva, he’s growing at his club and has played very well in recent games. His characteristics match my idea of a striker.
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“On Varela… he’s the top scorer in Italian football. To achieve that you need remarkable quality. Starting from that, I decided to put my faith in him, also because we mustn’t forget he’s only 21.”
Romano reveals Arsenal transfer plans as they eye a striker
Without mentioning Varela, transfer insider Romano has now revealed Arsenal plans to sign a striker, he said on his YouTube channel: “I expect Arsenal to be opportunistic in the sense that, if there is the right opportunity on the market… we know January is never an easy market, and Arsenal’s mindset in the last four or five years has always been very clear: in January, either there is the right opportunity or they prefer to wait.
“Arsenal want to be smart. If there is the right opportunity, especially in attack, Arsenal can make something happen, but it has to be the right player at the right conditions.
“A new signing up front is something that I would not rule out for Arsenal. I think it’s a possibility, but as of the 6th of November, we are not in a position to guarantee that Arsenal will sign a striker or will sign a forward, because this depends obviously on the opportunities.”
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