Arsenal’s striker search could hinge on Romelu Lukaku transfer

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 3 Jun 2022 17:36 BST
• 3 min read

Arsenal’s pursuit of a new striker could hinge on whether Chelsea offer Romelu Lukaku a transfer back to Inter.

The Gunners have been linked with a move for Sassuolo attacker Gianluca Scamacca but it may well be that the success of their chase for the 23-year-old hinges on the Belgium international’s future.

Indeed, Mikel Arteta’s side have already launched a first offer for Scamacca that was worth €40 million plus bonuses, according to Alfredo Pedulla.

However, the deal could be more complicated than simply reaching a price that the Serie A club are happy with.

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FootballTransfers understands that Scamacca wants to remain in Italy as his priority. As yet, he has no concrete offers from other Italian sides, although Milan and Napoli are both credited with an interest in him. The latter see him as a possible replacement for Victor Osimhen should the Nigeria international striker move on.

Inter are the side most closely linked with the Sassuolo attacker, although they have distanced themselves from a move since it became evident that Lukaku may be available again. The Nerazzurri are willing to make big financial sacrifices to take the Belgian back on loan – and that would spell the end of their interest in Scamacca.

This is the ideal scenario for Arsenal, who announced on Friday that Alexandre Lacazette will leave the club at the end of his contract on 30 June. In this instance, Scamacca would become a more viable target for them.

Who is Gianluca Scamacca

Scamacca started his career in the youth academies of Lazio and Roma before make his first-team debut in the Netherlands with PSV’s reserve side.

In 2017, he moved to Sassuolo but spent most of his first four seasons at the club out on loan.

During the 2020/21 campaign, he hinted at his potential by scoring eight times in 26 games, yet it was this term that he really enjoyed breakout success by netting 16 times in 36 matches for his parent club. Additionally, he received a first Italy call in September.

He has mostly been used as a centre-forward, where he plays in the style of a poacher, and unsurprisingly performs well in terms of his finishing.

FootballTransfers values Scamacca at €15m, though this value has been rising sharply for the last three months after steady improvement over the course of the season.