Arsenal given green light for signing of cut-price European forward, but face competition from Premier League rivals: report
Arsenal could be about to bolster their forward line with a bargain signing
Arsenal have been given the go-ahead they need to sign a highly-rated forward this summer, who is reportedly available in a cut-price deal.
Only Riccardo Calafiori has arrived at Arsenal this summer, with the club continuing to work on a deal for Mikel Merino. David Raya also made his move from Brentford permanent.
Attention has been diverted elsewhere after the first round of fixtures in the Premier League, though, as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his forward line in order to close the gap to Manchester City.
VIDEO: Why Arsenal Want Mikel Merino So Badly
Speaking ahead of Juventus' opening Serie A match against Como on Monday evening, new manager Thiago Motta highlighted that Federico Chiesa still isn't a part of the club's plans for the season.
“Our position on Federico Chiesa hasn’t changed. He’s not part of our plans,” Motta said. “We’ve talked. It’s a demonstration of the respect I have for everyone. Transparency, clarity, that’s the way I communicate with my players.”
Chiesa's contract at Juventus is due to expire at the end of the 2024/25 season, and with no new deal forthcoming reports suggest the Italian side are willing to let him leave this summer transfer window for as little as £12.8m.
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Arsenal, meanwhile, have reportedly met with Chiesa's agent in recent weeks over a possible deal, with the Italian keen on a move to the Emirates this summer. The versatile forward is capable of playing any number of positions across the frontline, which would offer Mikel Arteta greater flexibility in changing systems and personel during games.
The Gunners would have to act quickly to secure a deal for the Italian, though, with Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham all monitoring Chiesa's situation in Turin. The 26-year-old is a highly-sought after individual, and if the aforementioned price tag is true then he'd arrive in the Premier League especially cheap.
In FourFourTwo's view, it seems inevitable that Chiesa leaves Juventus this summer, but where he ends up signing is anyone's guess at this stage. With such a vast array of clubs - sides in Italy have also been linked - it's impossible to predict where the forward will be playing his football come the end of the window.
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Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.