Transfer Gossip: Arsenal burst into five-club race for Brazil striker as Jesus replacement plan reaches next level; ‘important bid’ lodged for Newcastle target

Arsenal have joined the pursuit for a Brazil international forward as they look to replace Gabriel Jesus, an ‘important’ offer has been lodged for a Newcastle-linked star, while Tuesday’s Transfer Gossip claims Everton are ‘close’ to finalising a new deal for a highly rated player.

GUNNERS WANT JESUS COMPATRIOT UP FRONT

Arsenal appear set to rival the likes of Chelsea, Leeds and Aston Villa for Brazil’s Matheus Cunha, according to a report.

Mikel Arteta is in need of a new striker following Gabriel Jesus’ injury at the World Cup. He damaged his right knee during Brazil’s group stage match against Cameroon and has since had to have surgery on the issue.

Arteta remains coy on when the player will return, although reports suggest he will out of action for three months. This means Jesus may not play for Arsenal until March.

Following Arsenal’s recent friendly win over Lyon, the Gunners boss was asked about landing a stop-gap replacement for Jesus. He refused to outright state that the hunt was on, although he did say Arsenal will ‘look at the options’ and ‘try to make the right decision’.

Several strikers are reportedly on their radar, including Juventus ace Dusan Vlahovic and Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix. But according to Goal, Felix’s Atleti team-mate Cunha is also in their sights.

They claim Arsenal hold an interest in taking the eight-time Brazil international on board this winter. One potential reason for this is that he would be less expensive to sign than Vlahovic or Felix, who are both big stars in the European game.

Cunha is not and at Atleti he has to play second fiddle to the likes of Felix and Antoine Griezmann. As such, there is a chance the La Liga side would be willing to let him go in January.

If Atleti refuse to sell the 23-year-old, then Arsenal could engineer a six-month loan deal for him. This would help Arteta replace Jesus without Arsenal having to spend a transfer fee.

Arsenal face plenty of transfer rivals for La Liga man

Unfortunately for Gunners Sporting Director Edu, he is far from alone in wanting to capture Cunha. Premier League clubs Chelsea, Leeds, Villa, Everton and Wolves are already in the mix for him.

And Goal state Leeds are ‘actively in talks’ with the attacker’s agent about a switch to Elland Road. Arsenal, in contrast, have ‘less advanced’ interest in Cunha as things stand.

Perhaps Arteta’s side are waiting to see what happens in the Leeds discussions. If they are close to signing him, then there is little use in Edu trying to launch a move this late on.

But if the Leeds transfer falls through, then Arsenal could march in and steal Cunha from under the noses of Chelsea, Villa and the other interested parties.

One thing Arsenal fans may be slightly worried about is Cunha’s lack of goals. Last term, he found the net just seven times in 38 outings for Atleti. And this season, he is yet to score during 17 appearances.

Of course, Jesus is not the most effective striker in front of goal. But his record is better than this, while he also does brilliant work to help the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli get among the goals.

Perhaps Arsenal could do with pursuing a more deadly striker than Cunha if they wish to keep their Premier League title dream alive.

NEWCASTLE MUST OVERCOME ‘IMPORTANT’ OFFER FOR STAR

Newcastle’s hopes of snaring Milan Skriniar from Inter Milan have taken a big hit after an ‘important bid’ was made for him.

Skriniar is in the final year of his Inter contract, leading to rumours he might leave Serie A altogether and come to the Prem.

Man Utd and Tottenham are thought to be keeping tabs on the situation. Skriniar represents a great opportunity as he is a vastly experienced centre-back available for a cut-price fee in January.

More recently, it has been Newcastle named as potential suitors for the 27-year-old. As per Italian outlet CalcioMercatoWeb, signing Skriniar is Eddie Howe’s ‘first goal’ at Newcastle, although he is aiming towards a summer move rather than January.

Signing a player of Skriniar’s quality would have previously been out of Newcastle’s reach. But thanks to their wealthy Saudi Arabian owners they can offer him a big pay rise if he chooses to depart Inter.

Unfortunately for Howe and Newcastle, it looks like Skriniar could end up staying with the Italian giants. On Monday night, Inter Sporting Director Piero Ausilio made a big announcement about the Slovakian. He said (via Fabrizio Romano): “We’ve made an important bid to Milan Skriniar as we want to extend his contract. We are optimistic, it’s up to Skriniar.”

This gives Newcastle a major obstacle in their attempts to sign the defender. He now has a big decision to make about either remaining where he is comfortable or joining a new project.

Skriniar has been at Inter since 2017, when he joined them from fellow Serie A club Sampdoria. So if he wants to take part in a new challenge and change things up, Newcastle could be a good next destination for him.

Plus, they may be able to offer Champions League football for next season. Newcastle occupy third spot in the Prem and are ahead of big clubs such as Tottenham, Man Utd and Liverpool.

Alternatively, Skriniar may choose to remain at Inter and extend his legacy there. He has already helped them win one Serie A title, in 2020-21, and could go after another one before leaving the club.

EVERTON ‘CLOSE’ TO BIG CONTRACT RENEWAL

Everton are deep in talks with Anthony Gordon and his agent about a contract extension and are on the verge of announcing fresh terms, according to a report.

Gordon enjoyed a good season in 2021-22 and this saw Chelsea come in for his services. They submitted a £45m proposal for him, which Everton knocked back.

Frank Lampard’s team set his valuation at £60m. Chelsea were considering matching this but ultimately decided against it and pursued other targets.

There has been some talk of Chelsea coming back in for the winger next year. However, this has been subdued as Gordon hasn’t exactly set the Prem alight this term.

Everton hope to end the exit rumours by sorting out a new deal for their academy graduate. And The Telegraph state his new contract is ‘close’ to being announced, in a major boost for Lampard.

The extended deal would serve as a warning to Chelsea and any other clubs hoping to take Gordon on board. It would force them to pay even more money when trying to sign the 21-year-old.

Everton won’t stop at Gordon as they are also in discussions with Alex Iwobi about a new contract. This is less about keeping other clubs off him though, and more about rewarding the midfielder for his great form this season.

Lampard will be delighted once both of these deals become a formality. It will mean he can focus on which players arrive at Goodison Park this winter, rather than those who could be leaving.

Elsewhere, talk of Arsenal or Spurs signing Roma’s Nicolo Zaniolo in 2023 has been clarified by a transfer expert.