Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Major Rumours as Arsene Wenger Targets Summer Raid

Alvaro Morata could be on his way to Arsenal this summer, but reports suggest the Gunners may have to shell out £60 million to land the Juventus striker.

As reported by Jamie Sanderson of Metro, the Spanish forward moved to Juventus from Real Madrid last summer in a deal that included a buy-back option for Los Blancos. But the piece claims they’re willing to pass on that chance and will split a substantial asking price with the Bianconeri if they receive an appropriate fee from the Gunners.

Here’s a look at what Arsenal would be getting for that kind of money:

Morata has shone in patches since his move to Serie A, with his ability at the sharp end of the pitch proving to be a fine foil for the industrious incisive talents of Carlos Tevez.

You suspect his displays will have also caught the attentions of the Gunners, who have been perennially linked with the former Los Blancos man.

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Looking purely at stylistic principles, it’s easy to see why Arsene Wenger would potentially be enamoured by Morata. Not only is he a dynamic talent at the point of the attack, but he boasts a fundamental set of technical skills and, despite being just 22 years old, a refined brand of forward play when leading the line.

But £60 million is an excessive fee, and if the report is correct, hugely rapacious on the part of both Real and Juve. For the time being, Morata is best suited to sticking around in Turin, learning alongside players like Tevez and Fernando Llorente and getting the minutes he needs to continue blossoming as a young forward.

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Anyway, if Arsenal have that kind of money to set aside for a centre-forward, it could well be spent on classier options. But according to reports, long-term Arsenal target Edinson Cavani is also on the radar of Spanish champions Atletico Madrid.

The Uruguay star would cost a lot of money, but as we can see here, he has quite an array of attributes:

According to l’Equipe (h/t Liam Corless of the Mirror), the 28-year-old striker has been in touch with Diego Simeone about a potential move to the Vicente Calderon, and the piece suggests that interest from the Madrid outfit will come as a major concern to Wenger.

Here’s how Cavani shapes up in league matches in comparison to Arsenal’s current forward options and the aforementioned Morata:

	Cavani	Morata	Giroud	Welbeck
Apps (Sub)	21 (3)	7 (13)	12 (5)	17 (3)
Goals	8	6	10	4
Assists	0	4	2	2
Shots per Game	2.9	1.7	2.7	2.4
Key Passes per Game	0.5	0.9	1.1	1.4
Dribbles per Game	0.5	0.7	0.2	1.4

Cavani is a wonderful striker. His link-up play is sharp, his intelligence off the ball is exemplary and his work rate has been admirable during his time with Paris Saint-Germain, despite being shunted out on to the wing for a sizeable portion of his time in the French capital.

But as noted by OptaJean, if Arsenal are looking for a poacher to thrive off the creativity of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla, Cavani probably isn’t the answer:

Names like Cavani and Morata will do plenty to stir excitement amongst Arsenal supporters ahead of the summer window, but at this juncture the point of the attack is not an area in need of desperate replenishment. Olivier Giroud is a fine foil for the aforementioned intricate midfield men, while Danny Welbeck is a capable, versatile deputy.

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It may not be as glamorous, but the defensive side of this team is in much more pertinent need of bolstering for the time being, with a rumbustious holding midfield player being the primary concern.

If Arsenal can get that long unaddressed facet of their side sorted out, then maybe we could see Wenger look to add a world-class striker to his offensive set-up.