Arsenal scouting mission tees up striker deal after Man Utd talks fail

Arsenal could succeed where Manchester United failed by signing exciting Swedish striker Kevin Filling, with a report detailing the Gunners’ scouting mission.

Filling is a 17-year-old centre-forward who has also played as a left winger on either flank on occasion. He came through the AIK academy before gaining promotion to their senior squad in July 2025.

So far this season, Filling has managed three goals and four assists in 21 appearances for AIK’s first team.

They are clearly not breathtaking numbers, but AIK believe the teenager could develop into an elite forward if given time to develop.

Alexander Isak came through their youth ranks before being sold to Borussia Dortmund for €8.6million in January 2017.

German journalist Florian Plettenberg revealed in October 2025 that Man Utd had entered ‘concrete negotiations’ to sign Filling.

United ultimately failed to complete the deal, with Arsenal now looking to capitalise.

According to CaughtOffside, Arsenal are ‘monitoring’ Filling as a potential ‘project signing’, while Liverpool, Chelsea and Juventus are all ‘keeping tabs’ on him, too.

Filling’s ‘combination of physical strength, acceleration and versatility’ has seen him emerge as an ‘elite young talent’ who is ‘attracting serious attention across Europe’.

Scouts from Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Juve have supposedly ‘been spotted at AIK matches in Stockholm to watch Filling’ recently.

The report adds: ‘Arsenal and Chelsea are believed to see the 2008-born attacker primarily as a project signing, a player who could be recruited early, developed carefully and potentially become part of the first-team picture over the next few seasons.’

Filling’s contract runs until June 2029, meaning AIK are in a good position to demand a decent fee.

CO claim it will cost one of his potential suitors €20-25m (£17-21.5m) to sign the Sweden U19 international.

AIK are also expected to request that Filling be loaned back to the club for a season, plus a sell-on clause.

The latter clause will see AIK make extra money if Filling goes on to make a highly lucrative transfer at some stage in the future.

In addition to pursuing the young striker, Arsenal are also weighing up their senior centre-forward options.

They tried to sign Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid over the summer, but the Argentine only wanted to join Barcelona.

There is uncertainty over whether Viktor Gyokeres will be at Arsenal in the long run, given the pursuit of Alvarez and Kai Havertz also being available to Mikel Arteta.

Latest on Viktor Gyokeres future

When asked recently if Gyokeres will stay at the Emirates for the full campaign, journalist Ben Jacobs said: “Yes, at the moment.

“But with the Julian Alvarez situation, one structure tabled was that it was cash plus Gyokeres, and Atletico Madrid really liked Gyokeres, but as long as Julian Alvarez stayed at the club it wasn’t as urgent for them to bring in a player like Viktor Gyokeres.

“But it’s true to my understanding that Viktor Gyokeres was not entirely unsellable and was touted to the Saudi market as well.

“And this is where the manager always wants plausible deniability, because he’ll accept the project decision to sell a certain player, but if they stay, the manager tells you they’re 100% invested, and he wants to keep them, and that’s been the case.”

Jacobs continued: “Mikel Arteta said Gyokeres would 100% stay, and that is my expectation for the season.

“I’m not aware of anything behind the scenes trying to force him out of the club or any imminent winter exit, but it will be true over the course of the next few windows that if the right offer comes in that meets Arsenal’s valuation and is something Gyokeres wants, I don’t expect Arsenal to stand in his way.

“But I would be surprised if that is in a winter market when he still has value to the squad.

“In the summer of 2027, Gyokeres’ future may become more of a topic of conversation.”

Arsenal could also bring in a new left winger in 2027 to rival Christos Tzolis, having sold Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli.

Meanwhile, we can reveal Arteta’s decision on signing a new contract at Arsenal.