Reports emanating from England claim that Arsenal is set to go big game hunting for the rest of the transfer window
Arsenal fans know that they need to take rumors of the Gunners spending big-money on world-class stars with a grain of salt. However, the latest reports out of England claim that manager Arsene Wenger is prepared to do just that.
The Sun is reporting that Wenger has determined that Arsenal will only chase some of the world’s brightest attacking stars during the last three weeks of the transfer window. Specifically, that means the Gunners will launch moves for Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann and Bayern forward Robert Lewandowski in the coming days.
To say that would be a change from Arsenal’s previous transfer policy would be a major understatement. The Gunners have been frustrated in their chase for lesser targets like Alexandre Lacazette this summer, and many believed their search for a world-class frontman was largely over. If the Sun is to be believed, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
If Wenger elects to pursue either Griezmann or Lewandowski, he’ll need to be prepared to spend massively to garner their services. The club have previously balked over paying 30 million pounds for Lacazette, but they’ll need to stump at least double that sum to start a conversation about either of the aforementioned targets.
Griezmann, in particular, will prove to be a very challenging transfer target. The French attacker is a huge piece of Diego Simeone’s squad at Atletico, and he signed a new deal with the La Liga giants this summer. It’s quite possible that prying him away from the Spanish capital could cost Arsenal a minimum of 80 million pounds.
That’s not to say that Lewandowski would be a cheap alternative. He probably wouldn’t cost quite the premium that Griezmann could command, but it’s not as if Bayern are going to let him go for free. Arsenal would need to be willing to pay Bayern a fee somewhere above 65 million pounds to really get into the mix for the Polish striker.
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It’s quite possible that Arsenal are leaking interest in stars like these just to put some added pressure on some of their long-standing transfer targets. In particular, Lacazette’s camp may be more inclined to push for a quick deal with Arsenal if they believe the club could sign a bigger superstar instead. It’s possible this is all just a gambit to provide the club maximum leverage as the transfer window nears a close.
At any rate, Arsenal fans should be happy that their club are being linked with big-name strikers at this point in the window. They may not have the ability to sign a player like Griezmann or Lewandowski, but at least they are still out there turning over every stone in search of the right centre forward.