Mason Greenwood can help Arsenal land top transfer target

Robin Bairner

• 23 Mar 2024 08:47 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United attacker Mason Greenwood is set to play an important role in the summer transfer window for Arsenal – but not because there is any prospect of the forward moving to the Emirates club.

Greenwood is indirectly set to play a pivotal role in Arsenal’s chase for Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres.

FootballTransfers exclusively revealed the Gunners have targeted Gyokeres as their No.1 option to sign in the centre-forward role. He is rated more highly by manager Mikel Arteta than the likes of Brentford’s Ivan Toney, while the pursuit of Napoli’s Victor Osimhen appears to have been pushed to one side over fears over the Nigeria international’s transfer fee.

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But as with highly rated players, Arsenal will not have it all their own way in the chase for Gyokeres, and this is where Man Utd forward Greenwood comes in.

According to a report in AS, the future of the two attackers could be intertwined, with Atletico Madrid having targeted both forwards.

Greenwood, who is on loan at Getafe having been deemed unsuitable to continue at Man Utd due to an internal investigation at the Old Trafford club, is wanted by several top sides in Spain.

Barcelona have been linked with the striker, but if Atleti were to land the one-cap England international, it would free Arsenal of a challenger for Gyokeres. This would be a welcome turn of events for Arteta, who has shown that he likes to get his business done in a timely fashion, so the fewer hurdles to overcome the better.

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Greenwood to Atletico Madrid?

For Atleti, Greenwood is likely to be a more attractive option, too.

The 22-year-old is unlikely to have significant interest from the Premier League due to his past, and this will mean that his price point is significantly cheaper than that of Gyokeres. The Sweden international is expected to fetch his €100 million release clause, which is far easier for Arsenal to attain than the LaLiga side.

Should they wrap the Greenwood deal up, Gyokeres to Arsenal would be a step closer.