Arsenal's summer plans face make-or-break period amid £50m Tottenham tussle

Arsenal have made a strong start to the summer transfer window, with two signings already in the bag, but their good work so far will mean little if they don't complete the most important part of their grand plan.

On Friday came the announcement from Porto that Fabio Vieira would be moving to Arsenal in a deal worth £38million. The 22-year-old midfielder will become the club's second summer signing, after Brazilian forward Marquinhos. Those two signings are both welcome, but really they can be put down as 'luxury signings', as they don't address the big existing weakness.

Vieira is a young and talented attacking midfielder who was signed basically because he was available at a reasonable fee. He arrives to bolster a position in which Mikel Arteta can already call upon Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe in.

Marquinhos is a 19-year-old winger who cost just £3m. He is a highly-rated youngster who is the definition of one for the future. Arsenal will have to play the long game with him - much like they did when they signed his compatriot Gabriel Martinelli as an 18-year-old back in July 2019.

Both players are welcome additions, but neither tick the box every Arsenal fan wants ticked: centre-forward. The departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January and the upcoming exit of Alexandre Lacazette leaves Arsenal with a gaping hole at the top of their team.

Yes, Eddie Nketiah's new long-term contract is a positive move, but he simply cannot be in the squad as the first-choice centre-forward next season if Arsenal are to push for a return to the Champions League. Of course, the Gunners hierarchy are well aware of this and have been plotting their course of action for months. Now is the time to deliver it.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Is Gabriel Jesus the right striker for Arsenal this summer? Comment below.

That means landing priority target Gabriel Jesus. Arsenal have had an opening bid of around £30m rejected by Manchester City, but are said to be confident of signing the 25-year-old, who has one year left on his contract and knows Arteta from his time at the club. City are holding out for closer to £50m for the striker, who has netted 95 goals in 236 appearances for the club.

That is a steep asking price for a player entering the final 12 months of his contract, but is indicative of their strong bargaining position. City have already brought in Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez for next season, so can afford to play hard ball for Jesus and Raheem Sterling, who is Chelsea's top target.

Reports over the past few days have suggested that Arsenal are not putting all their eggs in the Jesus basket. Their long-standing admiration for Tammy Abraham has resurfaced of late, while the interest in Alvaro Morata has also been revived in the Italian media, with his loan spell at Juventus coming to an end.

It is sensible to hedge your bets in the transfer market, given the many factors at play, but Arsenal have plenty of reasons to push hard for Jesus over the coming week. Abraham is not a realistic target, given he only arrived at Roma last year and is fresh off the back of a brilliant 27-goal debut season, while Morata has already flopped in the Premier League at Chelsea.

Jesus, by contrast, appears a perfect fit for Arsenal. He is young, so has plenty of potential to improve, is versatile positionally, and already has a serious Premier League pedigree. The fact he already knows Arteta and is looking for a club where he can be top dog is an added bonus.

There is a new problem for Arsenal. As the Mirror reported on Sunday, Tottenham have entered the race for the Brazil international. Antonio Conte may not be able to offer Jesus the status of number one striker, with Harry Kane at the club, but he can offer Champions League football.

Man City's £50m valuation may appear high, but it seems as though Arsenal cannot afford to haggle the price down for much longer. The Gunners were snubbed by Dusan Vlahovic in January and suffered the consequences. They should push forward for Jesus now before Spurs get a foothold in negotiations.