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Alvaro Morata to Arsenal: Gunners 'willing to make striker club's highest paid player' to beat rivals

Morata is wanted by the likes of Arsena, Chelsea and PSG and could be the subject of a bidding war this summer

Jack de Menezes

Saturday 21 May 2016 16:19 BST

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Arsenal are willing to make Alvaro Morata the highest-paid player at the club in a bid to fend off interest from Chelsea, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain and sign the Juventus striker this summer.

The Spain international is being heavily linked with a move away from the Italian champions, with Real Madrid poised to activate his buy-back clause of €30m [£23.6m] from 1 July. However, instead of returning to his former club, Morata looks set to be sold in for a large profit, with figures in excess of £50m being mentioned for the 23-year-old.

One of those clubs being heavily linked is Arsenal, with manager Arsene Wenger in the market for a new striker given Olivier Giroud’s and Theo Walcott’s struggles this season. With Wenger already closing in on his first signing of the season in the form of Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka, it appears that the club are pressing on with their transfer plans early in a bid to strengthen for next season.

Morata has caught the eye of Wenger in the past when the Frenchman attempted to take the forward on loan in 2014 only for the Spaniard to move to Italy, and according to The Sun, Arsenal are willing to offer Morata a contract worth £150,000-a-week in order to lure him to the Emirates.

It would take him beyond the £140,000-a-week that Mesut Özil currently earns, although the German also has an offer on the table to increase his salary should he decide after the Euro 2016 Championship that he sees his long-term future at Arsenal.

Arsenal striker transfer targets

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1/10Arsenal striker transfer targets

Arsenal striker transfer targets

Alvaro Morata (Juventus)

Morata looks certain to leave Juventus, but his destination remains unknown. Real Madrid lead the pursuit for the Spain international given they can activate a €30m [£23.6m] release clause in his contract after 1 July, but Juventus will be keen to sell elsewhere given they can command a much bigger fee based on is valutation. Morata would represent a proven goalscorer that Arsenal have lacked in recent years, having fired Juventus to two Serie A title and last season’s Champions League final.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Edinson Cavani (PSG)

Cavani is ready to end his Paris Saint-Germain career and move on to pastures new, having grown unhappy at playing second fiddle to Zlatan Ibrahimovic – who himself is poised to leave the club this summer. Having played in both Serie A and Ligue 1, Cavani has admitted that he would like to play in the Premier League, and the Gunners have been linked with the Uruguay international in the past.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli)

Arsenal missed out on Higuain when he left Real Madrid in 2013, having had a bid accepted for the Argentine only to see Napoli storm in and snap up the striker. However, Higuain could be on his way out of Naples, with the club looking to freshen their squad up in a bid to go one better and build on this season’s likely second-place finish to challenge champions Juventus.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)

Benzema may be another who finds his time is up at his current club, with Real expected to make a major signing of their own in the summer to try and add to the threat of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. While his two cohorts take the headlines in Madrid, Benzema remains one of the most prolific finishers in European football, and the Gunners showed genuine interest in the France international last summer only to decide against meeting Real’s valuation.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool)

Sturridge’s future has grown uncertain since Jurgen Klopp arrived at Liverpool. The striker has reiterated his commitment to the club and helped them reach the Europa League final, but he has also shown a dissatisfaction at times when Klopp has left him out of the side. Arsenal were reported to be interested in the striker, but strained tensions between the two clubs following the Gunners’ interest in Luis Suarez could scupper any potential deal.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Neymar (Barcelona)

A move for the Brazilian superstar would certainly be one of the biggest shocks of the summer, but his future in Barcelona is uncertain and the Catalans could be forced into selling him due to their increasing financial troubles. United have again shown interest in Neymar, but there is no reason to suggest that Arsenal can’t challenge them financially for Neymar’s signature and he would certainly fit into Arsene Wenger’s style of football.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Radamel Falcao (Monaco)

The Colombian has failed at both Manchester United and Chelsea, and is due to return to Monaco at the end of the season after a torturous two-year spell in England. But could he remain upon these shores and join Arsenal? With Monaco keen to sell and Falcao scoring a total of six goals in two years, the former Atletico Madrid forward would be available for a much lower fee than was touted 12 months ago, and you can guarantee that one big club playing in European competition will decide to take the risk on Falcao.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund)

The Gabon international is emerging as one of the most lethal finishers in Europe, having scored 25 goals in the Bundesliga this season and 30 in all competitions. Both Arsenal and Tottenham have been linked with Aubameyang, and the Gunners have sent scouts to watch the 26-year-old, with the club keeping an eye on him given Borussia Dortmund’s inability to hold on to their biggest players.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan)

The Inter Milan forward has emerged as a possible alternative to Morata, and at 23 years old Icardi would certainly offer Arsenal an option for a number of years. Icardi has scored 16 goals in Serie A this season, firing Inter back into European contention, but his form has caught the eye of the likes of Chelsea and United. However, the Inter captain has stressed that he will remain with the Italian club for next season, yet Arsenal could yet persuade him to move to the Emirates with the carrot of Champions League football.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Romelu Lukaku (Everton)

Lukaku is expected to leave under-performing Everton in the summer after admitting he wants to play in the Champions League next season. United have always been the front-runners for Lukaku, although a return to former club Chelsea has also been reported, while PSG are keeping an eye on the strong Belgian. However, Lukaku would certainly boost the Arsenal squad, and at 22 years old he could be the striker that Arsenal can build their squad around in the future.

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Signing Morata may be enough to convince Özil that the club do share his ambition to challenge for future honours – both domestically and in Europe – but some have questioned whether Morata is the goalscoring forward that Arsenal desperately need. Morata only managed seven goals in Serie A this season and has never managed to break into double figures in the league when playing for Real or Juventus.

He excels at hassling defenders and playing the ball on for those around him, but Arsenal already have a player similar to him in Giroud and it’s questionable whether paying £50m would represent good value for a player who may not deliver the 20-plus goals a season that the Gunners require if they are to end what will be a 13-year title drought next season.

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