Arsenal Transfer News Roundup: Gunners establish Jesper Lindstrom contact; Chelsea planning Rasmus Hojlund hijack, and more - April 5, 2023
Arsenal are preparing to face Liverpool on Sunday (April 9) at Anfield in the Premier League. Mikel Arteta's side are flying high, eight points clear at the top of the league.
Meanwhile, the Gunners have established contact with Jesper Lindstrom. Elsewhere, Chelsea have entered the race for Rasmus Hojlund. On that note, here's a look at the key Arsenal transfer stories as on April 5, 2023.
Arsenal establish Jesper Lindstrom contact
Arsenal are already in contact to sign Jesper Lindstrom this summer, according to Sky Germany via Sport Witness.
The German midfielder has turned heads at the Emirates following a series of impressive outings with Eintracht Frankfurt. The 23-year-old has registered nine goals and four assists in 31 appearances across competitions this season for the Bundesliga side. The club are willing to let him go this summer, and the Gunners are fast emerging as his most likely destination.
Arsenal are already in touch with Frankfurt to facilitate a deal, with Arteta eager to shore up his midfield ahead of the new season. Franfurt are likely to let the player leave for €35-40 million but might have to ward off competition from Liverpool for his signature.
Chelsea planning Rasmus Hojlund hijack
Chelsea are planning to snatch Rasmus Hojlund from right under Arsenal's nose, according to The Daily Mail via The Express.
The Danish striker has turned heads at clubs around Europe after exploding into the scene at Atalanta this season. The 20-year-old has 14 goals and six assists in 34 games across competitions this season for the Serie A side.
The Gunners are planning to take him to the Emirates, but the Blues are already working behind the scenes to wreck their plans. Chelsea pipped Arsenal to the signature of Mykhaylo Mudryk in January and are looking to repeat the trick with Hojlund.
The Blues have already held talks with Atalanta chairman Antonio Percassi regarding a move. The Serie A side are likely to demand £60 million for the 20-year-old.
Gunners riding Manchester City favour, says James Beattie
Former Southampton striker James Beattie reckons Manchester City have done Arsenal a favour by allowing Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to move to the Emirates. The two men joined the Gunners last summer and have been crucial to their resurgence this season.
Speaking to Ladbrokes Fanzone, the Englishman said that Pep Guardiola will have no regrets about selling the pair.
"You wonder what sort of conversations took place over the summer to allow Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to leave City for Arsenal. I almost think Pep (Guardiola) has allowed the pair of them to leave as a favour for a mate in Mikel (Arteta)!" said Beattie.
He added:
“You wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case, and I don’t think Pep is necessarily kicking himself for letting them leave, because of the sheer strength in depth he’s got available to him. If both lads were only going to play small parts for City this season, then Pep’s done the right thing for everyone involved. Would he have expected Arsenal to be in a title race with him this season? Probably not, but for that, I honestly think he’d think ‘fair play’."
Beatie went on to credit Arteta for getting things right and praised Jesus and Zinchenko for hitting the ground running at the Emirates.
“Mikel deserves a lot of credit, first of all for using his links and relationship with City, then for identifying the kind of players who’d fit straight into his team and his vision, and then for getting the best out of them straight from the first game this season," said Beattie.
He continued:
"But, ultimately, it’s those lads, Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus, who deserve most of the credit, because they’re the ones who’ve made the move, added something new to Arsenal and delivered. Any kind of feeling they may have had in the summer, perhaps around not feeling wanted or needed at City, they’ve channelled it into a positive and used it as motivation, and both have done an incredible job up to this point.”
Jesus recently returned to action after a long absence due to injury and scored a brace against Leeds United at the weekend.