On Wednesday, Gazzetta dello Sport have a big article on Joshua Zirkzee and what his future could hold, which includes a potential transfer to Arsenal.
The Dutch forward has been one of the stars in Serie A this season with his performances at Bologna, which is why the Gunners have allegedly taken an interest in him.
He would be expensive, however, and that’s why Gazzetta claim Arsenal have ‘set aside’ €50m to sign him in the summer.
The problem for Mikel Arteta’s side is that might not be enough to get a deal over the line, mostly because of Manchester United.
The Premier League side signed Rasmus Højlund from Atalanta last summer for €70m + €10m in bonuses, and that has set a new benchmark for a striker with potential in the Italian league.
Gazzetta explain that the technical director at Bologna, Giovanni Sartori, is taking that transfer ‘as a reference’, in hope of getting €80m for Zirkzee.
Another problem remains Bayern Munich, who have the option of bringing back for €40m, but also retain a percentage of 40% of a future capital gain on a ‘future resale elsewhere’, having initially sold him for €8.5m.
Therefore, an €80m deal would bring a nice chunk of money into the Bavarians’ bank account.
In short, if Arsenal have indeed set aside €50m for Zirkzee, they might need to either add a few bonuses on top of that, or find some money down the back of the sofa.
