Arsenal will pay less than £40m if they look to sign Cody Gakpo from PSV.
That's according to one report that says that the Dutch forward, who impressed against the Gunners in the Europa League, could be heading to the Emirates, snubbing the likes of Manchester United, Leeds and Southampton, who all wanted him in the summer.
Gakpo had the ball in the net only to see his subtle dink ruled out for offside but combined well with Luuk de Jong in the second half of a 2-0 win to show exactly what Premier League clubs missed when they failed to sign him in the summer. He now has 26 goal contributions in his first 20 matches this term.
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Sky Sports presenter Dharmesh Sheth claimed that Gakpo's versatility was one of his strongest traits and that this could be one of the key reasons that Mikel Arteta is exploring a deal.
“Arsenal is an interesting one, because, throughout the transfer window, I think the right side of the attack was a priority position,” Sheth said. “Now, Gakpo’s priority position, and preferred position, is on the left, but he can play in the centre and he can play on the right.
“At the moment, Saka’s occupying that right side of the front three just now. He would be someone that Arsenal would look at. I think it would fit the profile as well, as far as Arteta is concerned, because we know what he's trying to build a squad of young players who've got high ceilings and high potential so it could be one that Arsenal do look at in January, potentially, but the summer is more realistically.”
Now, football.london are backing up these claims and say that Gunners technical director Edu is "accelerating" the move.
It's been widely reported that PSV demanded £38 million for Gakpo, who reportedly tied up an extension to his deal last January to protect his value. Southampton and Leeds United were both interested in the player in the summer but are thought to be out of the race now, due to the 23-year-old's scintillating form.
Gakpo is valued at around £31.5m by Transfermarkt.
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Arsenal have been linked with a move for Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli; the Gunners are said to have already made contact with the Italy international's camp. The club are also interested in Evan Ndicka in defence, while N'Golo Kante and Federico Valverde are targets, too.
Meanwhile, one man who could be heading for the Emirates Stadium exit door is Gabriel Martinelli: there's been talk of Chelsea making a shock swoop for the winger.
In other news, Aaron Ramsdale says that the Gunners have been motivated to succeed this season by the disappointment of missing out on Champions League qualification last term.
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