Mikel Arteta can sign ‘dream’ £55m striker in swap deal with Arsenal star

Mikel Arteta can land his ‘dream’ striker Marcus Thuram from Inter Milan if he’s willing to ship an Arsenal star to the Serie A side in exchange.

The Gunners were in the market for a new striker over the summer , with Benjamin Sesko, Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyokeres all options they considered, while Newcastle star Alexander Isak was also said to be high on Arteta’s Wishlist.

Raheem Sterling joined on loan from Chelsea to strengthen the forward options but reports suggest they’re still scouring the market for a new striker in the upcoming windows.

Reports in Italy suggest Thuram could be their top target with the France international said to be Arteta’s ‘dream’ addition.

Thuram got 15 goals and 14 assists in his debut campaign for Inter having moved from Borussia Monchengladbach on a free transfer and he’s started his second season with a bang, finding the net on four occasions in his opening three games.

Perhaps it’s that flying form that’s caught Arteta’s eye and the report claims the Gunners could tempt Inter into a deal if they’re willing to send Gabriel Jesus to the San Siro in exchange.

Both players are valued at €65m (£55m) and it’s claimed Jesus ‘is certainly not considered untouchable by the Arsenal coaching staff’ having spend much of last season watching from the sidelines, with Kai Havertz often preferred to lead the line.

The report does though claim that Inter would also want ‘a substantial cash addition from the British club’ along with Jesus to consider parting with Thuram.

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Arteta won’t currently be focused on transfer matters with the North London derby on Sunday, particularly with a midfield crisis to deal with.

Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino are all unavailable for the clash with Tottenham on Sunday, leaving Arteta with limited options to play in midfield against their bitter local rivals, while Riccardo Calafiori is also expected to be out.

Rice is suspended after his red card against Brighton, Merino picked up a shoulder injury in his first Arsenal training session and is expected to be out for around six weeks, while Odegaard limped off in Norway’s Nations League win over Austria on Monday.

The playmaker was pictured on crutches as he boarded a flight back to London and the Norway team doctor predicted the 25-year-old would be out for around three weeks, therefore also missing the key clash with Manchester City next weekend, despite avoiding a fracture.

The injury crisis could hardly have come at a worse time for Arteta’s side, who start their Champions League campaign against Atalanta on Thursday before travelling to the Etihad to face Champions Manchester City next Sunday.