Arsenal pushing to win race for Cruz Ibeh amid Man Utd & Liverpool interest
Arsenal are now pushing hard to sign a “very talented” British striker, who recently scored a hat-trick, but they may have to fend off interest from their Premier League rivals.
Gunners eye new striker
Although the Gunners have plenty of options at striker, with Kai Havertz putting Mikel Arteta in a selection dilemma by scoring the winner against Chelsea on Tuesday night, another centre-forward was of interest in the January transfer window.
Indeed, the north Londoners began negotiations over a deal for James Wilson towards the end of the window, but the young Scottish striker ultimately ended up signing for Tottenham Hotspur, on a quiet day at the Emirates Stadium.
Arteta has managed to bring a new striker through the door, with Evan Mooney, who is capable of playing at centre-forward, right wing and attacking midfield, joining St. Mirren in a late deal.
However, despite securing Mooney’s signature, Andrea Berta and co remain keen to sign another young striker, and they are now doing all they can to sign Middlesbrough striker Cruz Ibeh, who has started to attract serious interest.
Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool are also named as potential suitors for the 17-year-old, who has already made his debut for Boro, although he still features for the U21 side, having recently scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Ipswich Town U21s.
The teenager is said to be a natural finisher, who also possesses pace and power, meaning Middlesbrough are keen to keep him, and the Championship side are confident they will be able to secure his long-term future.
“Very talented” Ibeh is a man of the future
There is no pressing need for Arsenal to sign another striker, with Havertz scoring the winner against Chelsea on a night where Gabriel Jesus also put in an impressive performance.
However, the Boro starlet could be one for the future, after receiving plaudits from manager Kim Hellberg, who said after handing him his debut at Craven Cottage in the FA Cup: “He’s a very talented boy. He trained with us. He has a lot of qualities.”
“He’s young, so we wanted to give him a taste of playing against Premier League centre-backs and learning from it. He’s got to learn from it. Go back and use it as energy to train even harder, train even better.”
Arsenal already have their own Alvarez, he’s a ‘Bergkamp type player’
Arsenal want to sign Julian Alvarez this summer.
Given his age, the Englishman is still inexperienced in the first team, but he has impressed for Middlesbrough U18s, scoring five goals in ten U18 Premier League appearances this season.
Ibeh is obviously an exciting future prospect, and it would be great if Arsenal could win the race for his signature, after missing out on Wilson.