Arsenal can bat Borussia Dortmund aside and pay up for £33.5m German international

The perpetual list of possible strikers that Arsenal are linked with continues to grow with each passing week. It is clear that the Gunners will move for at least one forward but the player’s identity remains unclear.

Arsenal will have the Champions League qualification possibility factored into every one of the players they are considering. They will know that finishing in the top four will greatly improve their chances of convincing some players to make the switch to north London.

However, Edu and his recruitment team should be monitoring the negotiations between other clubs to find opportunities to jump in and secure top talent if it becomes available.

Borussia Dortmund have an agreement with Karim Adeyemi of Red Bull Salzburg however the Austrian side are proving shrewd negotiators and are demanding a €40m (£33.5m) record fee to sign the German international according to Sky Germany.

The 20-year-old is considered one of the highest regarded forwards of his age bracket and seen as a long-term replacement by Dortmund for Erling Haaland.

19 goals in 34 appearances across all competitions may not seem wildly impressive but the scoring rate of a goal every 127 minutes is what has caught the eye of so many clubs. Liverpool are also said to be monitoring the situation

However, Arsenal would do well to be ruthless in this scenario needing to sign two forwards this summer after the departures of Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are finalised. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who left in the winter window thinned the attacking options for Mikel Arteta.

It seems a formality that two forwards would arrive in the summer at the risk of again leaving themselves thin for four competitions

The profile of these two forwards is key and Adeyemi would fulfil the characteristics of the more diminutive, pacey and clinical finisher who can play off the last defender. A player that Arsenal have had at their disposal with Aubameyang, to a lesser extent, and Nketiah.

Lacazette, whilst not the quickest, does not possess the aerial threat that has been lacking from the Gunners’ play for some time.

Adeyemi is closer to Lille striker Jonathan David who has also been linked with a move to Arsenal. In The Arsenal Way’s discussion surrounding how a perfect summer window could look, I paired David with Bayer Leverkusen Patrik Schick.

Whilst there is a reluctance from myself to replace David, who I consider a more accomplished forward, with Adeyemi, were the German forward to join with Schick it would still represent a significant improvement in the forward options for Arsenal.

However, the difficulty for Arsenal is that the player appears very much sold on the idea of a move to Borussia Dortmund. Especially having seen so many other players make the move from Austria to the Bundesliga.

An immediate step up to the Premier League could be considered too much of a jump. The argument from Arsenal will be to reference the success of the side’s young players and how Mikel Arteta has got the maximum from the youngest average squad in the league.

An interesting summer for many players awaits but Arsenal need to be aware of potential opportunities to sign top talent if the chance arrives.