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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Victor Osimhen – Latest

There is no denying that Victor Osimhen is on Arsenal’s radar.

Links have been around for a number of months, dating back to before the season began, although attainability has always been the major sticking point. Signed by Napoli less than two years ago, the club-record near £70m spend is one they won’t want to give up without a fight, or without a hefty price.

As per CBS Sports’ James Benge, Napoli understandably want ‘at least’ €80m (£68m) if they are to consider selling the Nigerian international. In effect, they want their money back.

The Gunners have been tracking a number of strikers and Osimhen, depending on where you source your news, is high up on that list.

Journalist Freddie Paxton has revealed that Arsenal have been in contact with Osimhen’s agent and that the interest is serious, although instead Napoli will be looking to recoup more than €100m for his signature. A fairly considerable difference.

Newcastle have shown their interest and the striker does want to play in the Premier League at some stage, although his preference is towards Arsenal.

Finally, heading over to Italy, Gazetta dello Sport state that talks have been put on hold by Osimhen as he awaits the outcome of the final five league matches. Understandably, he wants Champions League football, which Arsenal can’t lay claim to just yet.

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Dominic Calvert-Lewin – Latest

One of the names heavily linked with Arsenal across the season is also one that has slowly drifted out of the headlines, majorly down to his and Everton’s concerning form.

Kicking off the season with three goals in his first three games, Dominic Calvert-Lewin then suffered a toe injury that kept him out of action for the next 16 games. Since returning to the squad he is yet to find the back of the net in ten attempts.

This form is what prompted earlier reports of Arsenal cooling their interest, although David Ornstein has insisted the English striker remains a player Arteta’s side admire.

"“One of the players that we understand they have admiration for is Dominic Calvert-Lewin. We’ve reported that before,” Ornstein told The Athletic Football Podcast. “They’ll be monitoring closely what happens at Everton of course and also whether or not he returns to form because he’s not had the best season. It’s been a little bit disrupted by injuries, but he does had admirers at the Emirates Stadium. “They do have other names, too. It’s a bit of a fluid picture.”"

The goals drying up is concerning, but there is a talent in there, one Arteta may feel he can mould into a top level centre-forward in north London.

Equally, if Everton are to stay up they will command a significant fee for his services given his current deal runs until 2025, so them being relegated is the ideal scenario to lower his asking price if the Gunners maintain their interest. But his injury record? Hmm..

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Tammy Abraham – Latest

This is such an interesting link. Arsenal were well in the hunt for Tammy Abraham’s signature in the previous summer, only falling short of signing him due to their inability to shift one or both of Eddie Nketiah or Alexandre Lacazette.

Chelsea not being too keen on aiding a direct rival may have played some part too, but boyhood Arsenal fan Abraham wanted to make the switch across the capital.

Less than a year later he is the top scoring Englishman across Europe’s top five leagues, with 15 in 33 Serie A games for Roma, and 29 goal involvements in total across all competitions. Signed for £34m, the Daily Star (indeed) claim that a £50m bid is being readied by the Gunners to sign Abraham in the summer.

It would constitute a quick profit for Roma, but given he has another four years left on his deal, has scored plenty of goals this season and is only 24 years old, it seems like a bit of a stretch. Back in March the reports were double that, so it needs taking with a pinch of salt.

Given how interested Arsenal were in the previous summer there is a distinct lack of updates on the striker now, with this rumour being one very likely to be fan-driven and based mostly on the strength of the links less than 12 months ago.

Will Arsenal be watching him? Undoubtedly they will, but Roma could hold them to ransom and they may feel they can get more for their money elsewhere.