Arsenal miss out on Mikel Arteta striker target as familiar problem emerges

Arsenal transfer target Adam Hlozek has reportedly agreed to join German giants Bayer Leverkusen.

The news comes after Bayer qualified for next season's Champions League by finishing third in the Bundesliga. Mikel Arteta's side missed out on a place in the competition after finishing fifth in the Premier League and will compete in the Europa League.

Hlozek, 19, is one of Europe's most promising young forwards. The teenager has already won 12 senior caps for the Czech Republic and has scored 40 goals in 131 club appearances for Sparta Prague. He was named Czech Talent of the Year in 2019.

According to Patrick Berger - a journalist who works for German outlet SPORT1 - Bayer have agreed a €22million (around £18.75m) transfer fee with Sparta for Hlozek's services. The youngster has reportedly agreed a five-year deal with the German giants, turning down interest from rivals Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

As reported by The Athletic on Tuesday, Arsenal are strong admirers of Hlozek and were aware of Bayer's interest. It's believed the Gunners were slow to make a move for the emerging talent because they were clarifying their forward targets ahead of the window.

Arsenal need to sign at least one striker this summer. They have just two senior centre-forwards on their books at the moment - Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nkeitah - and both players are out of contract at the end of June. It's unclear whether they'll sign new deals. Midfielder Mohamed Elneny's existing deal also expires next month.

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"I will speak to the three players now or tomorrow and after that we will need to move on," said Arteta when asked about the futures of Lacazette, Nketiah and Elneny on Sunday evening. "But we have clear ideas of what we want to do.

"It's [their futures] been decided but it's very difficult to communicate it. What they deserve is to have a little bit of what they had today, but to do it earlier one way or the other with three situations like that is very, very awkward and it could affect the team.

"So as a club we have to do the right thing, in the right moment and sometimes to have those two things combine is not easy at all. But we will try to do the right thing."

The Gunners may have trouble luring players to the Emirates after missing out on Champions League football. They were in pole position to qualify for the competition with three games to go but defeats against Tottenham and Newcastle derailed their hopes.

Ex-Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell believes his former employers need to bring in eight new players this summer. "You could say a lack of activity in January cost Arsenal but you just don't know," Campbell told Football Insider last week.

"The fact is, this squad were in a great position with three games to go. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but nothing is guaranteed. What I do know is that Arsenal need eight players... they do not have the strength in depth."