Arsenal face £50m transfer setback after Prem rivals snapped star up for bargain price

Arsenal could be left to rue their decision not to push to sign Mohammed Kudus from Ajax after again being linked with the star. Amid ongoing debate about the lack of attacking prowess in Mikel Arteta’s squad, the Gunners are being tipped to spend money in the next two windows amid their faltering Premier League title challenge.

The tame 0-0 draw with Everton on Saturday left them six points off leaders Liverpool who have a game in hand, and again raised question marks on Arsenal’s perceived lack of clinical ability.

Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka are their top scorers in the top flight this season with five goals, while Gabriel Jesus – who continues to struggle for form and fitness – has just one League Cup strike to his name.

According to talkSPORT, Arsenal are weighing up a move for West Ham star Kudus in a bid to improve their creativity going forward. The Ghanaian has been one of his club’s most prominent performers since joining from the Dutch giants for £38m, and finished his debut season in England with the most successful dribbles in the Premier League with 124.

But before he headed to the London Stadium, Kudus had been frequently linked with Arsenal. The club opted not to follow up their interest though, seemingly restricted by Financial Fair Play regulations.

Kudus, 24, reportedly has an £85m release clause in his contract. That is almost £50m more than Arsenal would have needed to pay 18 months ago, meaning potential embarrassment for a club that has been praised in recent years for carefully assessing transfer targets.

The clause however, cannot be activated until next summer. A way around the sizeable fee could be the north London outfit making a move in January, but that could also mean having to sell a big name star to release funds.

Brazilian forward Jesus is likely to be a name in the frame if a player was to be off-loaded. There has also been speculation over Belgian star Leandro Trossard moving to Saudi Arabia.

Kudus, who its contracted until 2028, has 16 goals in 58 matches for West Ham. Although his discipline was called into question in October when he was red carded for violent conduct during his side’s defeat against Tottenham.

His subsequent ban was increased for three games to five for his behaviour after the incident at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It hasn’t stopped him being linked with a host of clubs though, with Manchester United also said to be monitoring the situation.

Kudus came through the ranks in Denmark with Nordsjælland, before moving to Ajax in 2020. He already has 40 caps at international level, scoring 11 times.