Arsenal are reportedly interested in Diogo Jota and are prepared to go toe-to-toe with Manchester United to land the Wolves forward in the summer.
TransferMarketWeb had reported of Manchester United’s interest in Diogo Jota, who is also a target for Napoli as per the publication. Now, Daily Mail have added Arsenal’s name to the list of suitors for the Wolves hitman in the summer, with Mikel Arteta looking to add him to his attacking arsenal.
Diogo Jota was always a silent star for Wolves since his arrival. But, the 2019-20 season has seen him make all the right noises under Nuno Espirito Santo. Jota has 15 goals in all competitions, with a crazy run of six goals in his last five games in all competitions.
Diogo Jota in the #UEL this season = ???
✅ Back-to-back hat-tricks
✅ 6 goals in 5 games? @Wolves pic.twitter.com/1n5f15fA7R
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) March 12, 2020
Jota’s goals alone have netted Wolves 8 points this season in the Premier League itself. His impact has been noted by the European bigwigs, with Manchester United, Arsenal and Napoli keen on the 23-year-old.
Arsenal’s need for a forward isn’t that urgent. But, with the Gunners prepared to let Alexandre Lacazette leave and the cloud hovering over Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s future at the club beyond the season, Mikel Arteta needs to add a forward come summer. Jota though, is unlike Aubameyang, but perhaps what Arteta needs.
The 23-year-old is an industrious forward with an appetite for covering distances during a match. This is likely one of the primary reasons Manchester United are interested in Jota. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer likes pressing from the very top and has shown to prefer hard-working individuals.
Jota though, in many ways, is akin to Anthony Martial, albeit with an additional aspect of tracking back and being a hard worker. Both play centrally and like to cut in whenever fielded on the left. Thus, Solskjaer could be looking towards Jota as a deputy or competition for Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, especially if they end up signing Odion Ighalo permanently.
In what is likely to be an absolute boost for all suitors, TransferMarketWeb report that the teams could land Jota for a fee around the €28 million mark. €28 million for a 23-year-old senior international, Premier League proven star is an absolute steal by the looks of things.
With Arsenal likely to encounter some trouble with the transfer budget heading into the summer, Diogo Jota could be the ideal target to reinvigorate their attack. For Manchester United, it will mostly be a case of increasing their squad depth and Jota is unlikely to give up being a regular starter at Wolves to be a squad player at United.
