Arsenal dealt blow in race to sign Ivan Toney alternative

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 22 Dec 2023 17:07 GMT
• 3 min read

Arsenal’s hopes of signing former Chelsea and Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke have been dealt a fresh blow following reports that Bournemouth aren’t willing to offload the Englishman in January.

Solanke, 26, has been one of the outstanding Premier League forwards so far this campaign and his form under Andoni Iraola has attracted the interest of several top teams.

West Ham United have previously been linked, while Arsenal are among Solanke’s suitors as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his forward line.

According to The Daily Star, the Bournemouth man is on Arsenal’s radar and the Gunners are keeping tabs on his progress amid their hunt for a new striker.

Although Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah are already at the Emirates Stadium, the former isn’t known for his goals and the latter could be sold in January in order to raise funds, as exclusively reported by FootballTransfers.

We understand that Crystal Palace are among the teams interested in pursuing a deal for Nketiah, who has not started a Premier League game since November 4.

Arsenal want to sign a new striker

Ivan Toney is regarded as Arsenal’s primary target for the January window, but Brentford are hopeful of retaining the Englishman and will only sanction a transfer if a substantial fee is offered.

Furthermore, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen has also been touted for a move to north London, but Chelsea remain the frontrunners in the race to sign the Nigerian international.

While Solanke is seen as an alternative to both players, Arsenal are unlikely to land the Englishman in January as Bournemouth have insisted that he is not available at any price, as per TEAMTalk.

The Cherries want to establish themselves as a regular Premier League side and are therefore not willing to entertain any offers for their star man.

Solanke has eight goals in 16 league appearances this season, meaning he has already surpassed his tally from the entirety of the 2022-23 campaign.