Arsenal have been named as surprise contenders to sign a striker who’s weighing up the possibility of terminating his deal, with Mikel Arteta’s side believed to be positioning themselves to tempt him with a north London move.
Arsenal preparing for crucial Premier League clash with West Ham
With news that defender Takehiro Tomiyasu will join Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus in being out for the rest of this season, after undergoing surgery on his right knee to fix a persistent injury, Arteta’s options are growing thinner by the week.
Arsenal can now sign star striker for just £33m after rejected January bid
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2 ByEmilio GalantiniFeb 19, 2025
There is still hope for the Gunners to pip Liverpool in the Premier League title race, though, with Liverpool dropping points again in a 2-2 draw away to Aston Villa on Wednesday evening.
Arsenal can close the gap to five points with victory at home to West Ham on Saturday, and it is likely Arteta will go with the same attacking line-up which eventually beat Leicester City 2-0 at the King Power in dramatic late fashion.
West Ham (home)
February 22nd
Nottingham Forest (away)
February 26th
Man United (away)
March 9th
Chelsea (home)
March 16th
Fulham (home)
April 1st
Mikel Merino was brought on as an emergency striker to bag a last-gasp brace in the final ten minutes against Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side, but it is unclear whether Arteta will start with the Spaniard up top against West Ham.
Their clash with the Hammers comes as yet another crucial 90 minutes for Arsenal in their quest to win a first domestic league crown in 21 years, and their lack of options, particularly in the forward area, has attracted criticism towards the Gunners’ recruitment policy.
Arsenal made a low-ball offer for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins in the January window, which was rejected out of hand by Unai Emery’s men, with the north Londoners eventually opting not to pursue a deal, despite Villa’s willingness to negotiate at a fee of £60 million (David Ornstein).
As such, they will have to wait until this summer to bring in a world-class centre-forward. Arteta did hint at the possibility of signing a free agent for Arsenal recently, but the names available wouldn’t do much to upgrade the squad’s attacking choices.
Roberto Firmino thinking about terminating Al-Ahli deal with Arsenal interested
Now, a very left-field potential target has emerged in the form of former Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino. The South American, who starred under Jürgen Klopp with 111 goals in 362 appearances for the Reds before departing, could depart current club Al-Ahli in unceremonious fashion.
As per a Spanish media source, Firmino is thinking about terminating his Al-Ahli contract, with Arsenal opening the door for him and in position to potentially entice him with a switch back to England.
The 33-year-old earns a staggering £302,000-per-week in the Middle East, which would make him Arsenal’s highest earner, and it is likely he’d need to settle for a lesser wage if he were to agree a transfer to the Emirates.
Despite scoring 10 goals and assisting five others across all competitions for the Pro League side this season, Al-Ahli decided to leave him out of their league squad list in favour of new arrival Galeno – plunging Firmino’s long-term future into doubt.