Arsenal are now ready to give one of Mikel Arteta’s transfer targets a starting role at Emirates Stadium to fend off any rival interest at Aston Villa and Manchester United.

The Premier League trio are likely set to lock horns in the off-season as they respectively bid to improve. Arteta and his rival managers Unai Emery and Erik ten Hag all acknowledge that they need to strengthen their squads to achieve their club’s respective aims for next season.

Arsenal will look to challenge for the Premier League title in a third consecutive term, whilst also going deeper in the Champions League and FA Cup. Aston Villa are also likely on course to get into UEFA’s elite club competition for their first time since the 1982/83 European Cup.

Arsenal lead Aston Villa and Manchester United to sign Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna

One position that Arteta, Emery and Ten Hag all think they have to improve is at striker. That is according to Calciomercato, which notes that Aston Villa and Manchester United both trail Arsenal in the race to clinch the transfer of Bologna ace Joshua Zirkzee in the summer sales.

Zirkzee is also the subject of interest from AC Milan and Juventus, who have had exploratory talks with his representatives. San Siro chiefs have also talked to his camp but hope to avoid a bidding war as Bayern Munich boast a €40m (£34m) buyback or will get 40% of any profit.

Arsenal will be particularly troublesome in AC Milan’s attempts to get Zirkzee’s transfer from Bologna, too. The Gunners are looking for a new No9 amid doubts over Gabriel Jesus’ future in north London. The Emirates Stadium club will also go to great lengths to convince Zirkzee.

Arsenal know that Zirkzee is happy in Italy, so have offered him a contract with a €6m-a-year (£99k-a/w) net wage. Arteta is also prepared to make Zirkzee a starter to ensure Emery, Ten Hag and whoever stands in charge of AC Milan and Juventus next season miss out on a deal.

Joshua Zirkzee favours a transfer to AC Milan the Rossoneri cannot afford

Calciomercato adds that Zirkzee only gets €900k-a-year (£15k-a/w) at Bologna, so Arsenal would take his salary to another level. But Gazzetta dello Sport reported in April that Zirkzee favours a transfer to AC Milan over any move to Arsenal or Manchester United this summer.

Yet Gazzetta adds the Rossoneri will struggle to meet the €75m (£64m), plus €10m (£8.5m) in add-ons, price tag that Bologna have slapped on their striker. I Rossoblu are using the Red Devils’ lucrative move to sign Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta BC last August to value Zirkzee.

Bologna think Zirkzee is worth the same fee Hojlund set Manchester United back as he has scored 11 and assisted five goals in 32 Serie A games this season. He also scored once in a 2-2 draw at AC Milan in January, after which Rossoneri boss Stefano Pioli was full of praise.

“He’s a great player,” Pioli told Sky Italia, via Sempre Milan. “I’ve followed him since his days at Bayern Munich and then at my Parma. A fantastic player, with physicality and quality. He has everything. He’s doing very well at Bologna.”

Related Topics