Arsenal now hold a firm interest in signing another “dangerous” forward, despite recently signing Eberechi Eze, and his club desperately need to sell.
Gunners keen on another forward after Eberechi Eze
The Gunners’ attacking quality was on full display in the recent 5-0 victory against Leeds United, with Viktor Gyokeres bagging his first two goals for the club, but the one downside was Bukayo Saka sustaining a relatively lengthy injury.
The injury is not as bad as first feared, but Saka is set to miss around four weeks due to a hamstring issue, with Martin Odegaard also picking up a knock, joining Kai Havertz on the sidelines.
Three injury setbacks at such an early stage of the season has underlined just how important it is for Mikel Arteta to have a deep squad, with the manager saying: “We’ve been two weeks and we’ve already lost Kai, Martin and Bukayo, so it tells you how well-equipped you have to be in this league to manage and to maintain the level that we want.”
Arteta should already have enough players to deal with the absences, given the recent arrival of Eze, while the Spaniard also has Ethan Nwaneri and Leandro Trossard at his disposal, but the north Londoners have now entered the race for another forward.
That is according to a report from Diario Nervion on X, which states Arsenal now hold a firm interest in signing Sevilla forward Dodi Lukebakio, who looks like he could be on the move this summer.
The Spanish club desperately need to sell players this summer, given their difficult financial position, and there is widespread interest in Lukebakio, with Everton and AC Milan also named as potential suitors.
However, the 27-year-old is reluctant to leave the La Liga side, having already turned down moves away in the past, so it remains to be seen whether a deal will be possible.
"Dangerous" Lukebakio would provide depth in attack
Lauded as “dangerous” by The Athletic’s Michael Cox, the Belgium international enjoyed a very impressive 2024-25 campaign, chipping in with 11 goals in La Liga, matching the number of goals he scored for Hertha Berlin in the previous season.
The Brussels-born forward is also established at international level, having picked up 26 caps for Belgium, with his attacking quality on show when assisting Romelu Lukaku in a Euro 2024 qualifier against Sweden.
That said, there are doubts over whether the forward, who is known to pocket £50k-a-week, would be a necessary signing, given the arrivals of Eze and Noni Madueke this summer, while Trossard also remains an Arsenal player.
As such, Lukebakio should not be a priority target for the Gunners, and they should instead focus on getting a deal for a Jakub Kiwior replacement over the line, with Piero Hincapie recently emerging as a major target.