Victor Osimhen to Arsenal is still being talked about, but the more important line in this story came from Mikel Arteta. He said Arsenal are weaker in certain areas because of injuries and need to strengthen, and that they have been trying for weeks to do it. Fabrizio Romano, though, says there is nothing concrete with Galatasaray yet, with no negotiations, no bid and no conversations.

Arteta's case for another signing

Arteta's comments were not especially coy. They were a direct acknowledgement that Arsenal want more help in the attacking group if the right chance comes up. He said the club have been trying for weeks and will move only for the right opportunity, which keeps the Osimhen noise alive even if there is no deal in motion.

The timing is part of why the speculation has not gone away. Arsenal are top of the 2026 Premier League standings, finished 2025 with a 26W-7D-5L record and 85 points, and beat Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield. They are not shopping from a position of panic. They are shopping from a position of strength, which is usually when elite clubs start asking whether one more forward is worth the trouble.

Why Osimhen keeps coming up

Osimhen's own numbers explain why his name keeps surfacing. He has scored 61 goals in 75 games in Turkey, the sort of return that keeps him in the frame for the biggest clubs.

Arteta's openness would matter less if Arsenal had little to sell to a striker of that level. But they do have a strong pitch. Arsenal went 8 wins from 8 in Champions League group play in 2025, and Viktor Gyökeres scored 21 goals in all competitions in his first Arsenal season. That is a decent base, yet it has not stopped the outside noise about adding another top-end forward.

Romano's update still pulls the story back to earth. His view is simple: no negotiations, no bid, no conversations with Galatasaray at this stage. So the Osimhen link remains alive because Arsenal have left the door open, not because a move is already underway.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →