ARSENAL are already planning for a busy summer of recruiting with the need for at least one new striker.
Khayon Edwards could feature next season
Khayon Edwards could feature next season (Image: GETTY)
Arsenal will reportedly look to sign 'two new forwards' in the summer transfer window while already securing the future of highly-rated teenager Khayon Edwards. The Gunners have impressively stayed in the fight for a top-four spot despite lacking goals from their central strikers this season.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was performing below his usual standards before being shipped off to Barcelona in January. To the dismay of many supporters, no replacement was signed with Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah the only recognised central options at the club.
The Frenchman has struggled to score from open play this season and has recently lost his place in the starting line-up to Nketiah. Both forwards are out of contract in the summer, leaving Mikel Arteta with a huge gaping hole to fill in the transfer window.
Arteta has hinted that the club are still working on contract negotiations with Nketiah at least. But there is clearly a belief throughout the club that they could solve some of their problems by looking to their youth players.
Khayon Edwards has impressed this season at youth level
Khayon Edwards has impressed this season at youth level (Image: GETTY)
Folarin Balogun has already tasted first-team football at the Emirates while Tyreece John-Jules is being tipped as a future star as well. And 18-year-old Edwards is another player on Arsenal's books who is garnering plenty of attention through his performances at youth level.
According to The Athletic, Arsenal have been starving off interest from Chelsea and Brighton to keep Edwards at the club, whose scholarship ends in the summer. The report now claims that Arsenal have won the battle to keep Edwards at the club with the striker signing his first professional contract.
That now gives Arsenal three promising options to choose from in attack and Arteta has shown this season that he has full faith in the club's youth players to step up when needed. But the Spaniard will also want to see some more experienced options come in this summer to help push the club further up the table, as well as aiding them compete in Europe.
And it is said that Arsenal will be looking to sign 'two new forwards' as potential replacements for Nketiah and Lacazette. Arsenal tried and failed to bring in Dusan Vlahovic as Aubameyang's replacement in January, but showed their intent in going after one of Europe's most coveted strikers.
The owners also proved last summer that they're willing to back Arteta in the market and it appears as though the same will happen again this time around. However, strikers will be in high demand for several clubs across Europe with the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe all seemingly on the move.
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