“Maybe Arsenal should have a word” – David James urges Mikel Arteta to rival Manchester City for 21-year-old star

Former FA Cup winner and England No. 1 David James believes Arsenal should try to sign Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland.

Recent reports have stated that Haaland is close to joining the Gunners' Premier League rivals Manchester City in the summer. Metro stated that City already have a deal agreed with the Norwegian, with his transfer fee rumored to be around £65 million.

James believes it isn't too high a fee for a player of Haaland's caliber and urged Arsenal to weigh up a deal for the 21-year-old. He told Sky Sports (as quoted by Metro):

"With Haaland coming up at £65m that is something maybe Arsenal should have a word with."

While the transfer fee could come to around £65 million, the overall expenses could amount to much more. Metro's report suggests that the total deal for Haaland could be worth £250 million when wages, bonuses and agent fees are taken into account.

Haaland has been linked with numerous clubs since last summer, with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United all looking to sign him. However, City now seem to be in the driver's seat to secure his signature.

Haaland is considered one of the best young forwards in the world at the moment. He has scored 82 times in 85 matches across competitions since joining Dortmund in 2020. The prodigy also has 15 goals in 17 caps for Norway.

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Arsenal desperately need to sign a striker in the summer

Arsenal's woes in front of goal this season have been there for all to see. Mikel Arteta's side have scored just 45 goals in 37 Premier League matches this term. To put that into context, Tottenham Hotspur have found the back of the net 47 times in the league since Antonio Conte took over the club in November 2021.

The Gunners let go of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January and failed to bring in a replacement. Consequently, the burden of scoring goals has fallen on Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah. The duo have been poor, however, and have scored just four league goals between them in 39 combined appearances.

Both Lacazette and Nketiah are also set to run out of contracts in the summer, making it all the more imperative for Arsenal to bring in a striker. They have been linked with multiple names, including Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin and LOSC Lille forward Jonathan David (as per the Evening Standard).

However, no concrete updates have emerged on either pursuit so far.