Arsenal told Bayern are unstoppable in race for prolific Serie A striker

Robin Bairner

27 Jan 2024 11:43 GMT
3 min read

Arsenal landed a blow towards Bayern Munich in the race for Martin Zubimendi this week, but the Bavarians hold the upper hand in another battle that involves the two giants.

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Mikel Arteta’s side are seeking a new option at centre-forward and among the players they are monitoring is Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee.

Zirkzee is a player who appears on the radars of several major clubs around Europe at present, with Arsenal joined by Manchester United and Inter in following the 22-year-old Dutchman.

The tall forward completed a move to Bologna in the summer for €8.5 million and has caught the eye by scoring seven times in 20 Serie A appearances this season. He also has two assists to his credit in the league.

Bayern Munich, though, could be unstoppable in this particular race.

According to Correire dello Sport, Bayern hold a buy-back clause for Zirkzee that can be activated for €40 million.

This is a sizeable fee for a player with an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of around €16m, yet there are few young strikers with his profile and potential available.

FootballTransfers has used SciSports to look at the potential alternative, based on players:

Who have an 80% or greater similarity to Zirkzee’s style

Who are younger than 25

Arsenal’s striking alternatives

Three outstanding candidates have emerged who could play this role for Arsenal, all of whom are currently playing in top five leagues.

Borussia Dortmund striker Youssoufa Moukoko comes out on top due to his potential. Often reduced to a role of substitute this season, Moukoko could well be put on the transfer market.

After striking off the bench in his last two games against Darmstadt and Koln, there may yet be hope for him at BVB, but there is little doubt the 19-year-old is unsettled.

Brighton’s Julio Enciso is also considered a candidate, though he is presently out with a knee problem that has seen him sidelined since August. The 20-year-old has two assists in just 71 minutes of Premier League action this term.

Finally, Leverkusen’s Adam Hlozek is the player most ready to go into the Arsenal squad, according to SciSports, yet he also possesses the lowest ceiling of this trio.