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Arsenal may have finished last season as runners up to Leicester but since then they have already seen Jamie Vardy turn down a move to The Emirates whether he goes on to regret that decision remains to be seen but what it does indicate is that Arsene Wenger is in the market for a new addition to his forward line.
Oliver Giroud may have had an impressive Euro 2016 but that was arguably more to do with playing alongside Antoine Griezmann than his own efforts, if Wenger could break the bank and manage to sign the Atletico forward this Summer then you would almost be looking at two new forwards if the two Frenchman could replicate their partnership from last month.
Be that as it may that looks quite unlikely to happen but Wenger is still going to have to break the bank if he is to get in another top class forward and perhaps the final missing piece of the jigsaw which could deliver them their first Premier League title in 12 years.
Let’s have a look and see who is on Wenger’s shopping list between now and the end of August
Gonzalo Higuain
It’s been reported that it’s going to take £80m to secure the services of Higuain from Napoli and if you were to comapre that against other potential transfers in this window then it may not seem as expensive as first though. The Argentine has been a long term target of Wenger’s is this the Summer in which he finally get his man.
The 28 year old has spent 3 season’s in Naples and last year scored a phenomenal 36 goals in 35 Serie A appearances with goalscoring statistics it was only going to be a matter of time before a host of top European clubs came knocking.
Higuain may look like a big fish in a relatively small pond in comparison to the Premier League and you get the feeling a player of his talents should be looking to really test himself at the highest level. That’s no discredit to Napoli but he is certainly capable of playing at a higher level. The question is whether or not Wenger is prepared to go for broke in what would be a real marquee signing for the club.
Alexander Lacazette
If he isn’t prepared to pay all that money for Higuain then about half of that could get you an upcoming talent with the promise to deliver a lot more. The 25 year old is in some demand this Summer though with a whole host of Premier League clubs hoping to claim the Lyon forward’s signature.
Lacazette has spent seven seasons at Lyon but it’s in the last three that his career has really come alive. He has registered 63 goals in 103 Ligue 1 matches and last season was only topped in the scoring charts by Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He knows where the goal is and is well worth the reported £40m transfer fee.
With Arsenal having the pull of Champions League they could very well find themselves at the front of the queue when it comes to signing Lacazette but they can’t afford to hang around for too long as cross city rivals seem to have no shortage of cash and are more than ready to place a bid of their own. You get the feeling that Lacazette will depart this Summer it’s now just a case of where.
Mauro Icardi
If Wenger decides that Italy could be the ideal place in which to pick up his star striker but can’t find the cash for Gonzalo Higuain then he may not go far wrong by focusing his attention on Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi instead. Like Lacazette, Icardi has been on the radar on a number of Premier League clubs and has declared his interest in a move to England and predominately London.
Icardi has been a revelation for what has on the whole been quite an underachieving Inter Milan side over the past few years his 47 goals in 88 Serie A appearances sees him find the net in every other game and if he can bring that form to the Premier League then Arsenal could finally have their 20 a season striker that they have been craving for so long.
With Chelsea and Tottenham already added strikers to their ranks in this transfer window it could make Arsenal the favourites to sign Icardi by default. Icardi looks keen only on a move to London and as ambitious as West Ham seem to be as of late the Argentine would be just out of their reach. £45m should be enough to prize him away from the San Siro and that would be a very astute signing if it were to be pulled off.
