Javier Zanetti hails £51m Arsenal transfer target as a ‘great champion’ | Football

Advertisement

Joshua Zirkzee has attracted interest from Arsenal and Inter ahead of the summer transfer window (Getty)

Inter vice-president, Javier Zanetti, has indicated that the Serie A champions will rival Arsenal for Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee this summer.

Bologna are in line to secure Champions League football for next season after an impressive campaign and Zirkzee has been one of their standout performers with 11 goals and four assists.

The 22-year-old is being monitored by Arsenal ahead of the summer transfer window with Mikel Arteta keen for the club to recruit a new striker before the start of next season.

It’s understood that Bologna will demand a €60 million [£51.3m] fee for Zirkzee, who they signed in a €8.5m [£7.1m] deal from Bayern Munich in August 2022.

And Inter are also exploring the possibility to adding Zirkzee to their attack this summer.

 Inter vice-president Javier Zanetti is a huge admirer of Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee

Inter vice-president Javier Zanetti is a huge admirer of Joshua Zirkzee (Radio TV Serie A)

When asked about a potential move for Zirkzee, Zanetti told Radio TV Serie A: ‘Zirkzee is a great champion.

‘We are talking about a young, talented, intelligent, physically very strong player.

‘Someone like that would be useful to any great team aiming for important goals.

‘Let’s see… if the opportunity arises we can think about it.

‘With Zirkzee, Lautaro [Martinez] and [Marcus] Thuram we would have a young and strong attack. They would give us peace of mind.’

Zanetti was also asked if he had ‘forgiven’ Romelu Lukaku after the Chelsea striker unsuccessfully pushed for a move to Juventus last year, despite spending the season on loan at Inter and indicating that he wanted to stay.

‘I don’t know if the right word is to forgive,’ Zaneti said.

‘We were disappointed above all because of the timing and because he wasn’t clear from the beginning. However, I wish him a great career.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, 
Twitter and Instagram.


MORE : Jadon Sancho ‘destined’ to return to Manchester United, claims Alessandro Del Piero


MORE : Ange Postecoglou responds to Ben White targeting Guglielmo Vicario during Tottenham defeat to Arsenal


MORE : Chelsea vs Tottenham: Confirmed team news, injury latest and predicted lineups

General Sport

Share your story or advertise with us: Whatsapp: +2347068606071 Email: info@newspotng.com