Arsenal wonderkid once dubbed club’s ‘future’ wanted by Champions League giants after ‘deciding to quit’ Emirates

ARSENAL are stepping up plans to sign a world-class striker in the summer after their Champions League heartbreak.

Mikel Arteta splashed out £204.5m last summer on Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber.

But the Spanish manager accepts he needs a proven goalscorer to take the club to the next level.

And here are the players he is looking at to get the Gunners firing:

BENJAMIN SESKO (RB Leipzig, value £40m-£45m)

One for the future at 20 years old. Scored 16 goals for RB Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga last season and the Slovenian has carried on that good form in Germany with Leipzig this campaign.

VIKTOR GYOKERES (Sporting Lisbon, value £60m-£80m)

Been scouted several times this season. The Swedish striker, 25, is more of a traditional No 9 so may not suit Arsenal’s demand for flexibility but would bring a physicality that boss Mikel Arteta craves.

ALEXANDER ISAK (Newcastle, value £75m-£85m)

Impressed in his first two seasons in English football. The Swede, 24, has the pace and finesse to match his finishing ability, and Eddie Howe’s Toon may need to sell to balance the books this summer.

JOSHUA ZIRKZEE (Bologna, value £45m-£50m)

Dutch wonder  is attracting the attentions of clubs across Europe. At 6ft 4in the 22-year-old forward would have no trouble adapting to the Premier League and already has an eye for goal.

XAVI SIMONS (RB Leipzig, value £70m-£80m)

An incredible talent in the Bukayo Saka mould, currently on loan from Paris Saint-Germain. The future of the Dutch attacker, 20, depends on how much money his parent club want to make from him.