Arsenal are close to agreeing their next deal of the summer, with Jamie Gittens close to moving to the Emirates Stadium.
With loanee Raheem Sterling returning to Chelsea this summer, Gabriel Jesus still a long-term absentee following an anterior cruciate ligament injury and Leandro Trossard rumoured to be leaving this summer, the Gunners may be about to make multiple attacking signings in a bid to bring about more goals.
No Arsenal player has netted more than nine in the Premier League this term, with the team as a whole scoring just 64 – some 27 fewer than last season, with just three games remaining, highlighting the need for attacking reinforcements.
Arsenal leading the way for Jamie Gittens deal
Having left Manchester City's youth setup to join Borussia Dortmund as a 16-year-old during the pandemic, Jamie Gittens has followed in the footsteps of the likes of Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham to establish himself in BVB's first team.
Last week, it was reported by German publication Bild that Chelsea were honing in on Gittens, but Arsenal have now stepped up in the race for the star, who shares an agent with Bukayo Saka.
Newspaper Ruhr Nachrichten claims that the 20-year-old has already “announced” to his Dortmund team-mates that he will be leaving this summer, with the Gunners having moved ahead of their London rivals following talks.
Gittens could well play on either flank for Arteta with a fee of around £43 million touted for the star – and with Gittens said to be earning €57,000-a-week according to Capology, he could be brought in for significantly less than the likes of Nico Williams, Brian Mbeumo, Rafael Leao or Antoine Semenyo, when both salary and transfer fee are consdidered.
FourFourTwo understands that a deal is far from completed at this stage and that though the groundwork has been put in, Dortmund are reluctant to consider any exit until the end of the season, with the Champions League yet to be sewn up.
Furthermore, Die Schwarzgelben sporting director Lars Ricken has debunked the claims that Gittens has asked to leave, telling DAZN via Get Football News, “An extremely strong relationship of trust has grown there” between player and club and that the young English talent, “identifies 100 per cent with BVB.”
While Arsenal do have a strong interest in the starlet, the Gunners will have other targets at this stage – and it should be considered that early groundwork to sign Gittens may just be a smokescreen from new sporting director Andrea Berta.
Gittens is worth €50m, as per Transfermarkt. Arsenal travel to Paris Saint-Germain when Champions League action resumes this week.
