Arsenal will have to pay £15 million more than the release clause to sign Serie A striker - Reports

According to Daily Express, Arsenal's interest in signing Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee is complicated as the Gunners need to play £15 million more than his release clause.

22-year-old Zirkzee has been in impressive form this season, scoring eight goals and providing four assists in 22 appearances across competitions. The Dutch striker has a release clause of £34.3 million.

However, the Gunners would need to pay £15 million more than the sum as Zirkzee's release clause is only valid for Bayern Munich, the club that sold him to Bologna.

Bologna's sporting director Marco Di Vaio said (via Express):

"It's only valid for Bayern Munich. We haven't received any call for Zirkzee. And in any case, we wouldn't answer. Joshua doesn't look like anyone: a unique piece."

Hence, any other interested party would need to negotiate with Bologna to decide a price for Zirkzee. A sum close to £50 million might be difficult for the north London club to shell out considering their FFP situation.

Apart from that, Zirkzee doesn't fit the profile of the out-and-out striker that Mikel Arteta's side have been actively looking for. The 22-year-old's Serie A goalscoring record is not as impressive as other Arsenal targets like Victor Osimhen and Dusan Vlahovic.

The Dutch youth international has so far scored nine goals and provided four assists in 42 appearances in the Italian top flight.

Chris Sutton surprised Arsenal haven't made a move for Dominic Solanke

AFC Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke has been in great form in front of goal this season. The ex-Liverpool and Chelsea player has scored 13 goals in 22 appearances across competitions.

Solanke has scored 12 Premier League goals in 19 appearances and only Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland have scored more. Pundit Chris Sutton expressed his surprise at the fact that the Gunners haven't yet made a move for the Bournemouth striker. He said on the It's All Kicking Off podcast:

“I know Arsenal have got this FFP issue and what have you, whether they can spend big money, But I’m surprised Arsenal haven’t made some sort of move for him.”

Solanke, with his tall frame and passing skills, has always been a very complete player. However, he has now added goals to his game, making the 26-year-old an attractive prospect for top Premier League clubs such as Arsenal.

The Englishman's current Bournemouth contract runs until the end of the 2026-27 season. He has an estimated market value of £25 million, according to Transfermarkt.