Arsenal hit speed bump as Edu looks to snap up Jonathan David for just £20m

Arsenal have reportedly hit a sticking point in their pursuit of forward Jonathan David, with their lack of outgoings hindering their ability to bolster their ranks.

Mikel Arteta has made it clear that he hopes to freshen up his squad this summer with new arrivals in all departments, in a similar manner to last summer when Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, Jurien Timber and David Raya arrived.

The Gunners are exploring their options at both ends of the pitch, with several different forwards being monitored, including Joshua Zirkzee, Victor Osimhen and Alexander Isak. However, the higher powers at the Emirates Stadium appear to have settled on David as their top striker target.

According to the Daily Star, Arsenal are set to join the race to secure the signature of the Lille star, with scouts currently in attendance at Copa America to complete their final checks on the Canada international.

Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham are all interested in David as well, with a fee in the region of £20million expected to be enough to sign the 24-year-old.

The forward has just 12 months left on his contract with Lille and therefore negotiations with the Ligue 1 outfit are not expected to be tricky, but Arsenal have their own obstacles to overcome before opening talks.

It is claimed that the Gunners must ‘sell before they can buy’ and therefore they are looking to offload some of their fringe players as soon as possible.

Aaron Ramsdale, Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe are among a host of names linked with a move away from the Emirates after struggling for minutes last season.