Man United plan Arsenal summer deal hijack as £90m Victor Osimhen decision made

Arsenal are yet to make their opening move for this summer's transfer window but there are signs of life despite what has been a rather lacklustre start.

While teams around them in the Premier League are lining up moves, with some already having secured one or two signings, stars Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were two of England's standout stars during their Euro 2024 opener against Serbia.

While one eye will be on their current stars shining in Germany, another will be on their priority targets for the summer and how they can afford them, with several players having been named as potential departures in order to fund their war chest over the last few weeks including the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Jakub Kiwior and Thomas Partey.

Here, football.london brings you the latest transfer news from the Emirates Stadium...

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Man United hijack attempt

Manchester United are reportedly exploring a deal to sign Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee after the star was linked with a move to Arsenal.

Erik ten Hag's side are speaking to the 23-year-old's representatives according to The Athletic's David Ornstein, with the Dutch star one of three options said to be on their three-man shortlist.

Zirkzee's contract is said to have a €40million (£34m) release clause which will become active from July 1, meaning United could secure their first arrival of the transfer window by the start of next month if talks proceed well, with Zirkzee's representative Kia Joorabchian believed to want a £12.6m pay-out to himself.

football.london says: The Gunners have been linked with the 23-year-old for a while now, but they have better options in the transfer market anyway.

If they're serious about bringing in a certified goalscorer in order to boost Mikel Arteta's attacking ranks, they can go after someone with Premier League experience like Dominic Solanke or Ivan Toney who they've been rumoured around for what feels like years. Zirkzee is not worth the hassle, even coming off the back of his impressive 2023/24 campaign at Bologna.

Arsenal need to replicate Erling Haaland's goals - of course, they can't just go out and get Erling Haaland, so recreating the goals in the aggregate is one good way of making sure they can still take the fight to Manchester City next season.

Osimhen decision made

Despite claims on Monday that Arsenal were preparing bids for Napoli star Victor Osimhen, it's now believed that the Gunners are ready to go back on their apparent plans after finding the star's £90 million valuation.

According to Football Insider, Arteta's need for a striker was set to be satisfied following the disappointment of failing to sign RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, with Osimhen seen as their next best option. However, having signed his new contract with the Serie A club in December last year, his £113m release clause is seen as too big a hurdle for Arsenal to overcome this summer with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSRs) potentially playing a part in their estimation of his value.

football.london says: This one could really sting for Arsenal fans. No Sesko, not a problem - lets go out and get the next best thing in Osimhen, who wasn't really that far behind the Slovenian in terms of ability. In fact, he could be a better option at this current stage having proven himself over a number of seasons.

With Arteta in need of an efficient goalscorer like Osimhen, his high value combined with the need to sell players off in order to balance out the books following their summer splash for Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber last year has meant that acquiring someone to put the ball in the back of the net may have to be put on the backburner until later in the window.

On the bright side, at least there's not many clubs in the world who are a) as attractive to a player as Arsenal and b) can actually afford the star.