Arsenal to land 'next Erling Haaland' to compete with Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah: report

By Tom Hancock
published

Arsenal are bolstering their attack even further in a statement move to compete with Manchester City

Arsenal rumoured transfer target Rasmus Hojlund looks on during the Serie A match between Lazio and Atalanta at the Stadio Olimpico on 11 February, 2023 in Rome, Italy.
(Image credit: ANP via Getty Images)

Arsenal are reportedly lining up a move for Atalanta hotshot Rasmus Hojlund, who's been dubbed the 'next Erling Haaland'.

The Gunners bolstered their attack with the £45m addition of Gabriel Jesus last summer, while Eddie Nketiah has found some superb form during the Brazilian's recent injury absence, but it appears that further strengthening is the aim this summer.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (via football.london) (opens in new tab), Arsenal are readying a 'mega-money' bid for Hojlund, who turned 20 earlier this month – but they could face stiff competition from Real Madrid (opens in new tab) in the race to sign the Denmark international.

Rasmus Hojlund of Atalanta celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Serie A match between Lazio and Atalanta at the Stadio Olimpico on 11 February, 2023 in Rome, Italy.

(Image credit: Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Hojlund is said to be valued at over £35m by Atalanta, who he only joined from Austrian outfit Strum Graz in August.

The 6ft 2in striker has enjoyed a strong first season in Serie A, scoring six goals in 11 starts for La Dea, who are firmly in the hunt for Champions League qualification.

Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini is "convinced" that Hojlund "will have a great career" – and he hasn't been afraid to compare him to Manchester City machine Haaland, who's already found the net 32 times this term.

"The characteristics are very similar, especially in accelerations," Gasperini said (opens in new tab). "He [Hojlund] is a very fast player; he does the 100 metres in less than 11 seconds. For his height, he has a low centre of gravity and an incredible stride frequency."

Rasmus Hojlund of Denmark strikes the ball during the UEFA Nations League match between Denmark and France at Parken on 25 September, 2022 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Hojlund made his senior international debut last autumn (Image credit: Lars Ronbog / FrontZoneSport via Getty Images)

Hojlund has won two caps for Denmark, featuring in September's Nations League games against Croatia and France – although he missed out on his country's World Cup squad.

Arsenal aren't the only Premier League club to be linked with Hojlund: Newcastle (opens in new tab) are also said to be keeping tabs on the former Copenhagen man (opens in new tab).

More Arsenal stories

Arsenal look like investing well this summer, according to reports. 

Interest in Declan Rice is ramping up – and the Gunners may have to break their transfer record for him – while Folarin Balogun's form on loan is posing interesting questions for Arteta. 

Meanwhile, Glen Johnson has stated that Arsenal's success is temporary. 

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Tom Hancock

Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for The Analyst and When Saturday Comes, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...