Arsenal

Arsenal

Premier League • England

Gianluca Scamacca transfer news: Double-edged sword for Arsenal as club replaces striker but Euro giants join race

Sassuolo striker Gianluca Scamacca

Arsenal have been given a boost in their push to sign Sassuolo attacker Gianluca Scamacca, although there is also interest reportedly coming from a European heavyweight.

Scamacca enjoyed a deadly campaign in 2021-22, bagging 16 goals and one assist in 38 games. He is now part of Roberto Mancini’s plans for Italy and is also in line for a big summer move.

Arsenal need to sign a new striker this summer and could decide on Scamacca as a potential solution. According to a recent report from 90Min, they were preparing to make an offer for the 23-year-old hitman.

Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport have since claimed an official bid to be on the table. They state Arsenal offered £27million, plus £6.8m in add-ons – making it £33.8m in total.

However, this has fallen short of Sassuolo’s valuation, which stands at £42m. As such, the Gunners will need to up their price if they want Scamacca to spearhead their forward line next season.

Amid the negotiations, Sassuolo have got to work on finding their next goalscorer. Fabrizio Romano reveals they are close to announcing the arrival of Agustin Alvarez.

The Uruguayan will effectively arrive as Scamacca’s replacement, giving Arsenal more hope that a deal can be struck for their transfer target.

Alvarez will join Sassuolo from Penarol for £9.4m after the two clubs came to a full agreement. He will fly to Italy next week to make the move a formality.

Gianluca Scamacca transfer rival appears

While this is good news for Arsenal, they may also have to fend off another suitor for Scamacca.

football.london, who cite Tutto Mercato, claim Paris Saint-Germain are ‘serious’ about landing the Serie A man.

They are happy to triple his wages, although the report doesn’t reveal exactly how much this will come to.

PSG are a big threat as they can offer Scamacca two attractive possibilities. The first is to win a league title, which Arsenal are some way off right now.

Plus, the French club will participate in next season’s Champions League after lifting the Ligue 1 crown. They can give Scamacca his first taste of Europe’s biggest club competition.

Arsenal were in pole position to get UCL qualification towards the end of last season. But losses to Tottenham and Newcastle meant Antonio Conte’s side got fourth spot instead.

Despite these factors, it could be argued Scamacca is more likely to end up at the Emirates than PSG. After all, PSG’s vast finances mean they can pursue far bigger names than Scamacca.

Arsenal can’t really do this and are therefore more likely to launch an official approach for the Sassuolo ace. Mikel Arteta’s side could look at Gabriel Jesus too if Sassuolo hold firm on their asking price.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are reportedly in touch with the agent of an impressive West Ham star.