Arsenal prepared to pay January release clause for £200k-per-week forward

Arsenal are reportedly willing to trigger the release clause in an exciting forward’s contract this month, with manager Mikel Arteta and interim director Jason Ayto still searching for the best option to reinforce the club’s attack.

Arsenal likely to sign new forward before deadline day

Whether it be a new striker or winger, or maybe a player who can cover both positions through versatility, Arsenal are certainly keen on bolstering their forward options before deadline day – as they bid to make up ground on Liverpool in the Premier League title race.

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Ornstein: Arsenal advancing in talks with “highly rated” gem over transfer

It could be the first signing of a busy final week of the window.

Arsenal are already in advancing talks to sign Sverre Nypan from Rosenborg, as per reliable journalist David Ornstein, but their transfer plans are unlikely to end with a potential deal for the highly-rated Norwegian.

“They’re working on a deal to sign Sverre Nypan, a really highly rated Norwegian midfielder, 18 years old, from Rosenborg,” said Ornstein to GiveMeSport.

“They’re advancing in talks with his representatives and club to club, nothing has been agreed. There’s no decision made on his future. Others are interested in him, such as Girona in Spain, not Manchester City”,

Amid their pursuit of the teenager, Arteta and the Gunners hierarchy are still scouring the market for a prolific forward who can ease the blow left by Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus’ long-term injuries.

The transfer market closes next Monday, so they’ll have to act pretty quickly, but respected transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano says they’re very likely to bring someone in for that area of the squad.

“It’s highly likely,” said Romano on Arsenal’s search for a striker to GiveMeSport. “This is the expectation of Mikel Arteta, so I expect the club to back him and find a solution on the market even if big clubs are not available.”

Many big-name frontmen have been linked with moves to N5 in the last few weeks, but a rumoured summer target in Athletic Bilbao starlet Nico Williams is now believed to be back on their radar before February 3rd.

Arsenal prepared to pay release clause for Nico Williams

The £200,000-per-week Spain star played a role in his country’s triumph at Euro 2024 last summer, bagging a sensational 19 assists in all competitions for Bilbao during the 2024/2025 campaign, and this has turned many heads.

As per reports in the Spanish media, Arsenal are prepared to pay Williams’ release clause to sign him from Bilbao this month, which stands at around £49 million.

It is added that the 22-year-old’s profile is exactly what Arteta is looking for, with his outlay of assists and ability to break lines seen as a potentially “key” aspect of their interest in the young attacking sensation.

Williams, called “fantastic” by Jose Mourinho, is also viewed as one of this window’s biggest potential “high-profile” signings, and his future is deemed one to watch in the coming days as he attracts serious interest from north London.