Arsenal are reportedly leading the race to sign Inter Milan striker Pio Esposito, valued at £73m, who is also a target for Manchester United. The Gunners have been tracking the 21-year-old for months and recently sent scouts to Australia to watch him in Inter's pre-season friendly against AC Milan.
Arsenal's search for a new forward
Mikel Arteta has been looking to add more firepower to his squad this summer, but so far only winger Christos Tzolis has arrived as a replacement for Leandro Trossard. An audacious move for Vinicius Junior ended on Thursday when the Brazil star signed a new contract with Real Madrid.
With Napoli in talks to sign Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli's future uncertain, signing a new forward is Arsenal's top priority for the rest of the transfer window. Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez and PSG's Bradley Barcola have been linked, along with Everton winger Iliman Ndiaye.
Esposito impresses Arsenal scouts
Though Esposito did not score in the 1-1 draw, he greatly impressed Arsenal's recruitment team. Manchester United also had scouts present but are not preparing an offer this summer.
Arteta wants a physically imposing centre-forward, similar to Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz, and at 6ft 3in, Esposito fits that bill. After scoring for fun in Serie B with Spezia, he enjoyed a breakthrough 2025/26 season, scoring 10 goals as Inter won a league and cup double. He has also scored five goals in nine caps for Italy.
Inter's stance and valuation
Inter have publicly stated that their academy graduate is not for sale and are close to agreeing a contract extension. However, reports claim they value Esposito at £73m, and he is interested in moving to the Premier League at some point but not yet.
In March, his agent Mario Giuffredi said: 'Despite Arsenal's interest, our plans are clear. He's happy at Inter and will be the future of the Nerazzurri for the next ten years. The boy is in love with Inter.'
