Arsenal boss has made Sporting Lisbon striker Islam Slimani his top target but it seems the Gunners could face competition from the likes of Spurs and Liverpool, according to a report in Portuguese newspaper O Jogo.
After Jamie Vardy snubbed his move to the Emirates Stadium by agreeing on a new contract with Leicester City, Wenger has been forced to turn to alternative targets in his search for a new striker.
While the likes of Morata, Aubameyang and Lukaku have been linked with a potential move in the media, O Jogo claims Wenger has made the Portuguese outfit hitman Islam Slimani his new target.
With Danny Welbeck likely, to be out of action until next year due to a knee injury and Walcott’s future being uncertain, Wenger is desperate to bring in another centre-forward to provide competition for Olivier Giroud.
At this stage of this summer, Arsenal should continue to focus on forwards who can improve their goal scoring ability.
However, the report adds that Gunners could face some competition as the Portuguese outlet claims that Spurs, Liverpool and Leicester are interested in his service while Atletico Madrid and Lazio are believed to be monitoring the striker.
No genuine fee was mentioned in the report but earlier this month the Mirror claimed that the striker has a £24m(€30m) buy-out clause in his contract while also stating that Arsenal were interested, so it looks there is some truth in this.
Slimani had a wonderful season with the Portuguese outfit after netting 31 goals in 44 games for Sporting last season while also scoring 23 goals in 43 appearances for Algeria at the at international level, that show he could be a world-class hitman.
The 27-year-old ace is yet to prove himself in a higher league as it’s a different thing to score 31 goals in Portugal League and it’s another doing it in the Premier League.
I feel he can repeat his success story in the Premier League because he not only proved himself in Portuguese league but he also did the same with the national team as well.
One striker that is capable of improving the Gunners’ attack would be Slimani. His pace, clever movement, brilliant technique and quality finishing would make him the perfect foil for Ozil’s vision in the final third.
It was rumored earlier yesterday, that we’ve agreed personal terms with Lukaku, I think if this is true it would be an excellent signing for the Gunners, but the chances of that happening are very very slim.
