Arsenal transfer latest: Gabriel Jesus, Victor Osimhen, Tammy Abraham, Calvert-Lewin

Arsenal have five huge games remaining of their season, with their league finish set to have a considerable impact on how their transfer operations go in the summer.

A 3-1 victory over Manchester United, coupled with Tottenham drawing a blank in their 0-0 draw with Brentford, has left Arsenal two points clear of their north London rivals in the final Champions League spot.

There have been twists and turns in abundance in the race for fourth place in the Premier League table, with the quest for elite European competition now looking like being a straight shootout between the north London clubs.

Mikel Arteta will continue remodeling his squad over the summer period, with two strikers, a wide player, a No. 8 type midfielder, full-backs and potentially even another central defender all on the agenda depending on availability and finance.

Arsenal transfer latest & striker targets: Gabriel Jesus, Victor Osimhen, Tammy Abraham, Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Securing Champions League football not only boosts the budget, it also allows Arsenal to dine at the top table on the continent and attract a higher calibre of player to elevate the squad to a new level. Pipping Spurs to the post, a side who will be aiming to fish in similar waters over the summer, raises their profile even higher.

"“The budget we used last summer, we prefer to use it to rebalance the squad,” Edu told ESPN Brasil. “There was no point in hiring one or two players [in January], the squad was not prepared to absorb two players, we needed to rebalance the squad. Maybe next season we can go to one or two [marquee] players. “Our planning has already been done, it has already reached the owners. It’s a matter of step by step, how we are going to finish the season and to put in plan the planning that I’m very excited about.”"

So when it comes to the striker situation, what is the latest? Four names have been most prevalent over recent weeks, and here is a roundup on what’s been said on Gabriel Jesus, Victor Osimhen, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Tammy Abraham.

Gabriel Jesus – Latest

The name on everyone’s lips at the minute is Gabriel Jesus, largely due to the veracity of the reports. Some initial murmurings from Brazilian journalists came to light, with those reports since evolving into very real links.

Edu, who gave the above interview before the win over United, wasn’t asked about Jesus because Arsenal specifically told ESPN not to. As per Globo Esporte, they were informed to avoid such lines of questioning, which is rather revealing.

All of which stems from the now well-documented talks that have been ongoing between Edu, Arsenal, and Jesus’ agent Paulo Pitombeira. Discussions have been bubbling away for months and the forward nears the final 12 months of his deal, although Goal Brasil say it’s not completely out of the question that the 25-year-old is using these talks as a means to angle a new Man City contract.

"As for word from closer to home, Arsenal transfer guru David Ornstein told The Athletic Football Podcast: “Edu and Gabriel Jesus’ reps have been talking for a number of months to the extent that, that part of the negotiations is pretty much done and dusted. “He is the profile of striker Mikel Arteta is looking to bring in. I think they want to bring in two forwards. “There has been no contact between clubs yet. That’s obviously a significant step that would need to be taken. But the early indications are that this a move that Gabriel Jesus would be open to.”"

With Erling Haaland’s move to Man City seemingly inevitable, there really is no room in the forward line for Jesus. Often playing out wide, his minutes at No. 9 will dry up completely when the Norwegian moves and the £100m addition of Jack Grealish last summer won’t help his case either.

Arsenal have really put the groundwork in and this is a deal that grows increasingly likely to happen, especially considering the reported £25m fee. That’s a steal.

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