Tottenham stunned as Arsenal surge into race for £65m-rated striker, with Gyokeres deal now ‘unlikely’

Arsenal are keen to sign a new striker before the transfer window slams shut and are reportedly interested in Tottenham target Dominic Solanke.

As previously reported, the Gunners’ top target is Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres but his sky-high price tag has always made a transfer difficult.

Eddie Nketiah is expected to leave Arsenal this summer even though Marseille have seemingly pulled out of the race for the 25-year-old to focus on Borussia Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko.

Mikel Arteta wants more competition for Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus as he aims to build a squad capable of lifting the Premier League title.

Gyokeres, who scored a stunning 43 goals across all competitions last season, has an £86m release clause in his contract which Sporting are demanding in full.

Arsenal aren’t willing to spend that much on Gyokeres and as a result, have switched their attention to alternative striker targets.

According to CaughtOffside, they have joined the race for Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke.

Solanke, 26, is a vital cog in the Cherries’ squad and netted a very impressive 19 goals in the Premier League last season.

He could prove to be a game-changing addition for Arsenal if he could replicate those numbers at the Emirates, but they face compeittion from North London rivals Tottenham.

Like Arteta, Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has also made signing a new centre-forward a priority for what remains of the transfer window

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Arsenal to battle Tottenham for Dominic Solanke

CaughtOffside’s report claims that while Arsenal’s move for Gyokeres ‘isn’t completely dead’ it is ‘very unlikely’ at this stage.

The Gunners have ‘turned their attention’ to Solanke as an alternative, who is open to leaving Bournemouth this summer.

Solanke is under contract at the Vitality Stadium until 2027 and therefore the Cherries hold all the power in negotiations.

Andoni Iraola’s side would only entertain a sale if they receive a £65m bid for Solanke and it’s unclear how much Arsenal are willing to spend on him.

As mentioned, Tottenham have also been heavily linked with Solanke in recent weeks amid their hunt for a new front man.

Richarlison continues to be linked with a move away from Spurs and Postecoglou wants to sign a new striker regardless.

We exclusively revealed on Friday that Tottenham had initiated talks with Solanke’s agents over a potential deal and they remain favourites in the race to sign him.

But that could change if Arsenal show a willingness to spend a big fee on the forward so it will be interesting to see how this story develops in the coming days.

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