Well, the Arsenal summer transfer gossip is well and truly warming up.
The Premier League season has only been finished five days and already it looks like the Gunners have a busy window lined up.
Earlier this week, The Athletic reported that Marquinhos to Arsenal was a done deal, with the teenage Brazilian apparently already joining from Sao Paulo.
And then Sport in Spain on Wednesday claimed that the North Londoners were ‘very close’ to signing Alvaro Morata of Atletico Madrid.
Morata is one of several well-known strikers linked with a transfer to the Emirates Stadium, but one relative unknown target is Joseph Okumu.
Well, according to the player’s agent Arsenal are one of several clubs to have touched base with Belgian outfit Gent about signing him.
He told People Daily: “We have had informal interest from English side Arsenal and Scottish giants Celtic, but German side Borussia Dortmund is the first side to make an official inquiry about the central defender who is open to a move if a proper agreement is reached.”
According to Transfermarkt, Okumu is one hell of a physical specimen, standing at 6’4 – even taller than Gabriel Magalhaes.
In fact, the player has even been compared to Liverpool powerhouse Virgil van Dijk.
According to Johan Larsson, who played with the towering Kenyan in Sweden, his former teammate has ‘similar qualities’ to the legendary Dutch defender.
He told Fotbollskanalen, as covered by HITC Sport at the time: “He has similar qualities. So it is not a stupid comparison, but it is also a tough comparison to live up to.”
There’ll be a lot of players who fall into the category of ‘Arsenal summer transfer gossip’ between now and August and time will tell whether the North Londoners make a formal offer, having already touched base informally.
