Arsenal have an advantage in the pursuit of Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee due to his agent Kia Joorabchian, according to Corriere dello Sport (page 12).
The Gunners have been heavily linked with the Dutchman over the past few months. They reportedly have the upper hand in the transfer race.
Zirkzee has a £34 million release clause in his contract, and Joorabchian would prefer to bring him to Arsenal this summer.
Gunners sporting director Edu Gaspar has a close friendship with Joorabchian, who stands to benefit from the transfer in the form of agent fees.
Juventus are also interested in signing Zirkzee, but Bologna have asked the striker not to join them after losing their manager to the Turin giants.
Zirkzee does not represent a marquee striker signing for Arsenal
The 22-year-old has been constantly linked with the Gunners this year, but it is not guaranteed that he can develop into a genuine scoring striker.
The former Bayern Munich forward registered 12 goals and seven assists from 37 outings for Bologna last term. His figures are not overly impressive up front.
By contrast, Kai Havertz netted eight goals and provided seven assists in just 18 appearances as a centre-forward for the Gunners last season.
Zirkzee won’t be an upgrade on Havertz for manager Mikel Arteta. If Arsenal are looking for an emerging striker, they should move for RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
The Slovenian ace scored 18 goals from just 2,056 minutes for the German club in his debut campaign.
The Gunners will need to trigger a £55m release clause to sign him. He will cost more than Zirkzee but should prove value for money with his huge potential.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com.
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