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Arsenal are looking to bring in another Ajax player in Mohamed Kudus.
The Gunners have been busy during the summer transfer window after making big-money moves for the likes of Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice.
The focus now is on offloading players as sporting director Edu is tasked with generating funds with the potential outgoing transfers of Kieran Tierney, Cedric Soares, Nicolas Pepe, Sambi Lokonga, Nuno Tavares and Rob Holding to name a few.
That said, the North London side are still looking to add more arrivals with the Daily Mail reporting Kudus — rated at £40 million ($52 million) — is among the players they are interested in.
The 22-year-old — who featured for Ghana during the 2022 World Cup — is extremely versatile as he can play in central midfield, an advanced role and even on the right wing. This versatility is said to be particularly attractive for the Arsenal recruitment team.
He has also attracted interest from other clubs such as Premier League side Brighton. That said, it is believed the attraction of playing in the Champions League and challenging for the Premier League could play a major factor for the player with 23 goals and 11 assists in 84 appearances for the Eredivisie side.
The catch, however, is that Arsenal will need to offload some players before adding to their already steep £200 million ($260.75 million) transfer spree this summer.
One player who has been linked with a move away is Thomas Partey with rumors of a move to Juventus and the Saudi Pro League. However, the same report now adds that Arsenal are not looking to sell the player and will only have a change of heart if a “huge” offer comes in.
Why are Arsenal going in for Mohammed Kudus?
It seems clear that despite their transfer activity this year, Arsenal are still looking for a player who can deputize for Bukayo Saka on the right.
Saka played all 38 league games for Arsenal last season and contributed with 14 league goals and 11 assists as he was a big factor as to why Mikel Arteta's men challenged for the Premier League.
But with no real backup who could deputize for him, the England international looked burned out and tired, especially during the business end of the season where Arsenal eventually fell short and finished second.
Reiss Nelson recently signed a new deal, but struggled to stay fit for large parts of last season. He's a handy player, but even when fully fit, there appears to be doubts as to whether he is good enough to fill in for Saka should the latter get injured.
There's another option in Leandro Trossard who was brought in during the January transfer window. However, it appears he will mostly serve as a backup to Gabriel Martinelli on the left hand side and additionally as a makeshift striker option.
Perhaps that's where Kudus could come in as he could serve as a more reliable backup option for Saka on the right as well as provide him with more opportunities to get a rest during the season.
This will especially be crucial with the Gunners back in the Champions League.
