Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will enter the summer transfer market with two things in mind: sign a midfielder, and sign a centre-forward.
His side might have fallen short in the Premier League title race for the second year running against Manchester City, but the Gunners spent large portions of the campaign looking like the finest team in all the land, and now it's time to not narrow the gap but leapfrog over England's dominant force.
With Thomas Partey set to leave, Edu and Co will scour the globe for a new star to perform alongside Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, but few would contest that landing a striker is the most pressing concern.
Arsenal flourished as one of the slickest and most successful attacking forces in Europe last season and the thought of a first-rate goalscorer added to the mix certainly sparks some measure of excitement.
It's well known that RB Leipzig talisman Benjamin Sesko is of a vested interest to Arsenal, but he's not the only one on the radar, with a Premier League star being lined up.
Arsenal eyeing Premier League forward
As per The Sunday Express, Arsenal are one of the clubs interested in signing Dominic Solanke amid The Athletic's revelation that the Bournemouth striker has a £65m release clause in his contract.
It is important to note that that clause is applicable to a select few clubs, though the Gunners' reported interest suggests that they are on that list.
There's some measure of doubt that arrives with an overseas signing, warranted or not, but Solanke has showcased his scoring skills in the Premier League and could prove to be a shrewd alternative to a player such as Sesko.
Dominic Solanke's season in numbers
Perhaps it's inapt to suggest that a £60m player would be a 'shrewd' alternative for any club, but Solanke represents a methodology that stretches somewhere outside the box, with Victor Osimhen, one of Europe's most coveted players, also on the radar.
But unlike Osimhen, and unlike Sesko, Solanke has fostered, honed and sharpened his skill set on English shores, weathering plenty of attrition and recently blooming into one of the Premier League's finest.
He might have experience at Chelsea and Liverpool but only on the periphery, in his fledgling years, and it was Bournemouth and the promise of a starring role that proved to be the making of a marksman once touted for big things.
1.
Erling Haaland
31
27
0.95
2.
Cole Palmer
34
22
0.75
3.
Alexander Isak
30
21
0.83
4.
Phil Foden
35
19
0.60
4.
Ollie Watkins
37
19
0.53
4.
Dominic Solanke
38
19
0.51
Solanke wedged his way into the leading scorers list after posting only six goals from 33 matches the season before, as Bournemouth staved off the threat of relegation on their first season back after promotion.
The improvements have been remarkable, with the one-cap England international showing the consistent signs of a "top, multi-faceted forward" – said to be shaping up as such several years ago by The Athletic's Jacob Tanswell.
Why Solanke would suit Arsenal
The £50k-per-week sharpshooter would offer Arsenal something different, something more solid and pointed in the final third. Arteta has nurtured a wealth of talent but first-rate stars such as Bukayo Saka need a striker such as Solanke to ensure that extra edge is found in the potential third successive fight against Pep Guardiola's City next year.
The above-mentioned deadliness is exactly what is needed for a player such as Saka, who scored 20 goals and added 14 assists in all competitions last term and has been described as one of the "best players in the Premier League" by retired Three Lions skipper Wayne Rooney.
As per FBref, Saka ranks among the top 17% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 15% for assists, the top 9% for shot-creating actions, the top 21% for progressive carries, the top 3% for touches in the attacking penalty area and even the top 10% for tackles per 90.
He's the embodiment of multi-functional and would thrive with a focal point such as Solanke to channel his talents on a regular basis. Especially given the South Coast star is so similar to Sesko and Osimhen.
Indeed, according to FBref, Sesko is Solanke's most comparable player, with the 6 foot 2 Cherry a powerful and formidable forward with disguisable bursts of sharp speed.
Sesko, too, is an imposing physical specimen, framed at 6 foot 4, though he enjoys a more dynamic style of play to that of a traditional centre-forward and would be perfect to bounce off Saka, but then, if that's the case, surely Solanke could adopt such a role with seamless integration.
One of Arsenal's biggest strengths under Arteta is that they move forward in concert, en masse, and do so to frightening effect, with teams blitzed and riven in half by the storm-blazing fury of the Emirates machine. Solanke would only add to this, and open up a new dimension.
Arsenal will not want to miss out on Sesko, especially to a rival such as Chelsea or Manchester United, but it's inconceivable that Edu would place all his eggs in one basket.
The resounding rise of recent years bears testament to the Arsenal squad, and their performances on the pitch, but, perhaps more so, the unerring transfer hits that have fuelled the resurgence.
Arteta and Co will have done their homework, and while Sesko is the number one target, Solanke has all the skills to succeed as the final piece of the puzzle at Arsenal.
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