Arsenal in Premier League 3-horse race to sign 24-year-old Serie A star: Reports 

Arsenal are set to face competition from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa in the race to sign Moise Kean. The Italian striker, who joined Fiorentina this season, has been in exceptional form and has reportedly attracted interest from several clubs.

After a disappointing second spell at Juventus, Kean moved to Florence for a reported fee of €13 million. Under Raffaele Palladino’s guidance, the 24-year-old has already scored 19 goals in just 29 appearances across all competitions.

As a result, clubs are closely monitoring the Italian international, who has a reported €52 million release clause in his contract. According to Firenze Viola, both Arsenal and Tottenham have been tracking Kean to bolster their attacking depth, and now Aston Villa have joined the race.

For Arsenal, the need for a natural number nine has long been debated. However, injuries to Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, and Bukayo Saka have further exposed their lack of squad depth. The Gunners are expected to pursue a striker in the summer, with Ollie Watkins, Dusan Vlahovic, and now Kean among those linked.

Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly held internal discussions about a summer move for Kean. Such a signing could provide Ange Postecoglou with a versatile backup for Dominic Solanke while also raising questions about Richarlison’s future at the club.

Aston Villa, on the other hand, are actively searching for a replacement for Jhon Durán, who joined Saudi club Al-Nassr for a staggering €77 million in the January transfer window. With Watkins’ future also uncertain, Unai Emery could look to the Serie A for a new number nine.

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Mikel Arteta outlines Arsenal’s approach to overcome their injury problems

The past couple of months have been challenging for Arsenal, with multiple injuries, particularly in the attacking department. As a result, Mikel Arteta has had to find alternative solutions, one of which was using Mikel Merino as a centre-forward.

That decision proved to be a masterstroke against Leicester City, as the Spanish midfielder came on as a substitute and scored two late goals to secure all three points for the Gunners.

However, Arteta believes that goal-scoring responsibilities must now be shared among the squad. He also emphasized the importance of finding solutions for different scenarios that may arise in the coming weeks.

"We’re going to have to share that (goals), we know that. We’re going to have various contexts; sometimes we’re going to have to make a sub because a player isn’t performing, or because the opposition is doing something else. We have prepared for different scenarios then those have to work, hopefully they will work as good as Mikel worked,” he said following Arsenal’s victory over Leicester City (via Arsenal website).

Arsenal will next face West Ham United on Saturday, February 22. A win would bring them within five points of league leaders Liverpool, who will travel to Manchester to face the reigning Premier League champions on Sunday.