Arsenal eyed late transfer that would have changed everything for Osimhen

Arsenal had a late-window interest in Alvaro Morata before his move to Galatasaray, according to a report.

The Gunners were desperately scrambling for attacking reinforcements during the January window after Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka went down with long-term injuries.

Mikel Arteta insisted that he was looking for striker ‘opportunities,’ but ultimately, no reinforcements were brought in. Ethan Nwaneri’s emergence as a fairly reliable goalscorer eased the pressure on Arsenal to make a signing.

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However, the Gunners nevertheless did explore a host of potential transfers and it has now been revealed by The Athletic that they even considered a move for former Chelsea man Alvaro Morata late in the window.

It is claimed that Arsenal held fresh talks with the agent of goalkeeper Joan Garcia – a summer target – when they were in Spain for their Champions League clash with Girona and that the name of Morata came up during these discussions.

Arsenal wanted Morata

Arsenal were looking for a loan and AC Milan would have been open to doing business. However, the North London club were ‘beaten to the punch’ by Galatasaray who were much more ’emphatic’ in their pursuit, the report states.

The Turkish giants sealed a complex loan deal for Morata that can be extended by a season beyond the summer. There is also an obligation to buy the 32-year-old if certain conditions are met. Galatasaray are paying a €6 million loan fee.

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With a move for Morata, Arsenal could have influenced the future of Victor Osimhen. The Spaniard is his heir-apparent and Galatasaray moved quickly to close the deal after having a €65m offer to make Osimhen’s loan permanent rebuffed by Napoli.

Had they missed out on Morata, they may have tried to secure even more funding for a potential permanent transfer of Osimhen, with Galatasaray ‘dreaming’ of keeping the Nigerian long-term.

The signings of Morata as well as exciting striker Ahmed Kutucu mean that Osimhen is all but guaranteed to sign for a new club after his loan.