Arsenal leading transfer race for AC Milan’s 10-goal forward

Arsenal are one game into their 17 Premier League ‘cup finals’ with plenty of way to go before they can start loosening their purse strings for summer additions.

Securing Champions League football would be transformative to the project, just as it allows them to cast their net wider in terms of what calibre of player the club can aim for. There are still many months before that will become clear but feelers are already being put out ahead of the off-season.

In terms of where Arsenal will look to strengthen is no secret. Both centre-forward and central midfielder could see two additions apiece depending on movement out of the club, while a new right-back to cover for Takehiro Tomiyasu is also on the cards.

Everyone’s eyes are fixated on the striker position where the right addition can elevate the side to new levels, and that means looking at various profiles to determine what will suit best.

Arsenal leading transfer race for Rafael Leao as AC Milan forward continues fine form in Serie A amid growing Premier League interest

Having pushed for Dusan Vlahovic it’s become apparent that a physical No. 9 who can link play and act as a central axis as well as add threat in the box is clear, although interest in Alexander Isak suggests there are other ideas swirling around at London Colney.

The Swedish striker is cut from a different cloth: a pacey frontman with fine dribbling quality who can operate in wide areas. His profile isn’t too dissimilar to that of Rafael Leao, someone who is attracting interest from ‘half of the Premier League’, as per Repubblica.

Of those sides keeping tabs on the AC Milan forward it is Arsenal who are said to be leading the chase as Mikel Arteta shows the strongest interest of all.

The 22-year-old in enjoying his finest season to date with the Serie A side, netting ten goals in all competitions this season operating out on the left. His superb recent winner over Sampdoria helped move the Rossoneri up into top spot in Serie A with 25 matches played.

Out of contract at San Siro in 2024, this has a very strong air of Cody Gakpo about it. The Dutch striker was linked with Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal in the January window, only for a couple of days to pass before he penned a new long-term contract.

It’s classic agent tactics: spread the word of significant interest in your client to force the current club into bulking up whatever contract offer it is they had in mind. Milan find themselves in a strong position as they challenge for the title and look set to offer Champions League football, meaning any side capable of luring him away would need to at least offer the latter.

There is directness and fearlessness to Leao’s style that is incredibly alluring, while he’s refined his overall game this season from a tactical standpoint. Equally, there is still development potential in the Portugal international, potentially even into a centre-forward.

However, the noises emanating from Italy at this stage of the campaign have a strong whiff of agent hyping. It’s far too soon to tell.