Sky Sports News understands there could be up to 13 clubs in the market for a centre-forward this summer; Sky Sports takes a look at 15 of the best options with Joshua Zirkzee, Victor Osimhen and Jonathan David - linked with a transfer to the Premier League - among those assessed
Friday 14 June 2024 06:20, UK
Strikers are expected to be in high-demand this summer, with Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Man Utd and Tottenham all on the lookout.
Sky Sports News understands there could be up to 13 clubs in the market for a centre-forward this summer.
Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Everton, Ipswich, Leicester, Southampton, West Ham and Wolves are also considering varying profiles of strikers.
Some clubs have already got theirs, such as Brentford and their £30m January signing Igor Thiago, while we have seen one Premier League target - Benjamin Sesko - decide to stay at his club RB Leipzig already. The window opens on Friday.
In the coming market, there appears to be a few tiers to what is on offer at centre-forward, depending on their quality and market value; from the top strikers in the world such as Victor Osimhen - worth at least £100m to Napoli - to potential bargains such as Serhou Guirassy, who has a release clause of little more than £15m.
Here, Sky Sports takes a look at 15 of the best strikers out there in 2024 - some very much available, others near-impossible to get - and uses Wyscout data to showcase their potential for the Premier League.
Club: Stuttgart
Age: 28
Approximate market value: £15.6m (€18.5m) release clause
Contract expires: 2026
Every team in the Premier League watched Guirassy last season as he spearheaded Stuttgart's successful league campaign, which saw them earn Champions League qualification.
Sky Sports News mentioned him with the likes of Manchester United, West Ham, Fulham and Nottingham Forest during the January transfer window - but he stayed and finished the season on 28 goals in 28 Bundesliga games, the second-most in Europe's top-five leagues behind only Harry Kane.
Inevitably, the Guinea international is on the list again at every club this summer, mainly due to his relatively cheap release clause, which leaves Stuttgart very exposed to losing him.
However, Champions League football helps them in their bid to keep him, at least from clubs outside European competition next term, although some of the interested clubs could blow them out of the water on wages, especially in England.
In a Bundesliga with a number of top strikers, Guirassy ranks third behind only Kane and Lois Openda in Wyscout's ranking system, which incorporates all of a player's data over the course of a season. He has got a lot about him; great movement, good feet, and knows where the goal is.
Club: Cercle Brugge
Age: 23
Approximate market value: £16.9m (€20m+)
Contract expires: 2026
Belgium is usually a cheaper market for Premier League clubs to shop in and has an increasing number of exciting young players, Denkey being one who is banging in goals in the Jupiler League for fun.
There is yet to emerge a firm Premier League suitor for him, but he is undoubtedly one that the majority of clubs have been watching considering his strong data set. According to Wyscout's rankings, he is the best striker in Belgium currently.
He is also the fourth top-scorer with 31 goals and has the second-best xG rating (35.04) of all the strikers in this list. He is also second on this list for shots per 90 (3.52). He has speed and power going for him.
Club: Lille
Age: 24
Approximate market value: £34m-£42m (€40m-€50m)
Contract expires: 2025
With just a year left on his contract, Jonathan David is another seemingly affordable option for a Premier League club, and a good one after his exploits in the French league over the last few seasons.
He was behind only Kylian Mbappe for goals and assists among centre forwards in France last season, with 19 and four respectively. In 2022-23 season, he was top of the combined xG and xA metric for any striker across the top-five leagues, according to Wyscout's data.
This season, David has the second-best xG (30.15) of the strikers in this list, hits more than half of his shots on target in all competitions and, again in Europe's top-five leagues, David was second only to Jean Philippe-Mateta in terms of shot accuracy, with 60.5 per cent of his Ligue 1 shots hitting the mark.
France's leading newspaper L'Equipe seem to be aware of the Premier League interest and have also mentioned Atletico Madrid. Further reports say Lille want €50m but with only a year left on his contract that seems optimistic.
Club: Bologna
Age: 23
Approximate market value: £34m (€40m) release clause
Contract expires: 2026
Just called up to the Netherlands squad for Euro 2024, Manchester United and Arsenal are currently very interested in Zirkzee as AC Milan push to try and sign him from Serie A rivals Bologna.
Milan are confident of getting a deal done but almost a week has gone by since talks intensified and it is not there yet, which has seen United and Arsenal monitor things more closely this week. Bologna, meanwhile, really want him to stay for another year and are even willing to increase his wages.
Zirkzee stepped-up last season with 11 goals to help Bologna qualify for the Champions League.
He is a really attractive prospect on the market, because of his dynamic profile and relatively young age, with plenty of room for improvement, especially for a relatively modest fee. Juventus also like him a lot but need to sell a striker before they can go after another one.
Club: Girona
Age: 26
Approximate market value: £34m+ (€40m+)
Contract expiry: 2028
Ukraine international Dovbyk scored 24 goals in 36 LaLiga games last season as Girona - Manchester City's sister club - finished in the Champions League places.
AC Milan have him on their list if the Zirkzee deal collapses, according to Sky in Italy, while reports in Spain have linked him with Atletico Madrid and Napoli. He is unlikely to be a player for City and their owners are unlikely to want to see him strengthen their rivals, so perhaps a move to the Premier League is unlikely.
Astoundingly, Dovbyk has the third-highest xG (23.87) in top-five leagues behind Haaland (29.04) and Kane (23.9), according to Wyscout data. He is a top attacker, no doubt.
Club: Aston Villa
Age: 20
Approximate market value: Unknown
Contract expiry: 2028
Chelsea have been interested in Jhon Duran since January and he remains on their list of strikers as they re-work the squad for new manager Enzo Maresca.
He has played second fiddle to Ollie Watkins since his £18m arrival from Chicago Fire in 2022, but that is to be expected given Watkins' outstanding form. Duran has nonetheless shown what he is capable of when he is on the pitch, scoring five goals mostly as a substitute. Some of those have been absolute spectacular, though.
Duran is undoubtedly a top up and coming striker who needs to player regularly to realise his potential and, given Watkins' status at the club, that may have to be away from Villa Park.
His value has risen and he has a lot of time left on his contract but Duran's price cannot have increased that much given his lack of playing time and recent move to England.
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Age: 23
Approximate market value: £42m+ (€50m+)
Contract expiry: 2028
The Nigeria goalscorer scored 19 goals as Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga. He would have scored more had he not missed a portion of the season through injury.
His valuation has therefore increased and, following Alonso's decision to stay, it will be harder to prize players from his team. Leverkusen have a real chance to solidify their place at the top of the Bundesliga and go further in the Champions League next season.
Boniface has the best xG per 90 (0.71) of any player in this list, above Viktor Gyokeres (0.67) and Jonathan David (0.65), and the second-most shots per 90 (4.05) in Europe's top-five leagues behind Kylian Mbappe.
Club: Feyenoord
Age: 23
Approximate market value: £42m-£50m (€50m-€60m)
Contract expiry: 2027
The Mexican had a sterling season in the Eredivisie under Arne Slot, whose move to Liverpool has raised inevitable speculation that the striker could follow him to Anfield.
Gimenez was also spotted watching a Tottenham game this season and they are among the Premier League clubs who are on the lookout for a young striker they can develop.
He is highly rated by scouts and sporting directors at a number of Premier League clubs and his relative affordability makes him a likely proposition to come to England. However, the record that precedes him for players making the jump from the Eredivisie to the Premier League is not a great one and does create reservations among scouts.
Gimenez's xG is good at 26.39 but he did not provided many assists over the past season. He very much leads the line, plays on the shoulder of the last defender and is devilish in the box, even with his head.
Club: Bournemouth
Age: 26
Approximate market value: £65m release clause
Contract expiry: 2027
Dominic Solanke is understood to have a release clause that can be activated by only the 'big six' clubs, reportedly to the tune of £65m.
Andoni Iraola has helped develop him into a prolific Premier League goalscorer and that is what is attracting top clubs to his name again after it did not work out for him at Chelsea and Liverpool earlier in his career.
Inevitable speculation has been made linking him to Eddie Howe at Newcastle, given they worked together at Bournemouth, but Alexander Isak is clearly the first choice there. The top clubs looking at strikers appear to be after someone younger than 26 but if they do not get their first choices, could Solanke come into their sights?
According to Wyscout's index based on performance data, Solanke was the fourth best-performing centre-forward in the Premier League last season, behind Ollie Watkins, Heung-Min Son and Jarrod Bowen. That's quite something.
Club: Brentford
Age: 28
Approximate market value: In the region of £70m
Contract expiry: 2025
If not for his ban from football last season, Ivan Toney would undoubtedly already be at a top club. He was the coveted centre-forward, newly in the England setup, and of interest to Arsenal and Chelsea last year, but instead spent most of last season on the sidelines and was not quite the same player after he returned.
Sky Sports News understands Arsenal have turned their attentions away from Toney and Isak and towards a younger profile of striker they can develop, and Chelsea too seem to be looking at younger players like Duran.
In January, Toney's valuation at Brentford was £100m and that has dropped somewhat, as he enters the final year of his contract at the West London club, and if he has an impactful Euros with England, interest will inevitably pick back up. He needs to show his best again.
Brentford have been preparing themselves to lose Toney this summer, signing £30m striker Igor Thiago from Club Brugge in Belgium, but they will not let Toney go on the cheap.
Club: RB Leipzig
Age: 24
Approximate market value: £67.6m-£75m (€80m-€88m)
Contract expiry: 2028
Although Openda's £67.6m (€80m) release clause is not effective until 2025, it does give a guide as to his valuation. Why wouldn't Leipzig argue he is worth that much now given the season he has had?
Twenty-four goals in 34 appearances in the Bundesliga and four in the Champions League has seen him form a formidable partnership with Benjamin Sesko, in a very exciting RB Leipzig team that has finished in the Champions League places in a very competitive division.
Openda is up there among the best performers for xG (22.98), goals-per90 (0.67), and shots per90 (3.37) - and he has, of course, been linked with all the top Premier League clubs over the last 12 months or so.
Club: Napoli
Age: 25
Approximate market value: £100m+ (€120m+)
Contract expiry: 2026
Only a handful of clubs in the world can afford to spend £100m on one player, which limits the market for players such as Victor Osimhen. With two years left on his contract, a move is more practical but Napoli will not let him go for less than his value.
That is surely a reason why the prolific goalscorer is still at Napoli despite speculation that he would move elsewhere nearly every season.
Every top club has been linked with him at one stage or another, including Chelsea, but at such a high price, there are only a handful of clubs worldwide that could spend that kind of money - and most have their centre-forwards.
Reports earlier this year claimed he was high on PSG's wishlist to replace Mbappe, but Antonio Conte will be hoping he sticks around for his first season in charge at Napoli.
Club: Sporting CP
Age: 26
Approximate market value: £84m (€100m+) release clause
Contract expiry: 2028
The Sweden striker only signed for Sporting last summer from Coventry and is thought to have had a €100m release clause inserted into his contract.
He has found the step from Championship to the Portuguese top-flight and European competition a relative breeze, scoring 29 in 33 league games and five more in the Europa League, which is what has alerted clubs to want to bring him back to England.
It will be an expensive job though and only one or two clubs could afford to do it, making it unlikely, especially given the current PSR rules.
Gyokeres' stats are really strong; he has the best xG (36.94) and xAssist (8.8) of any strikers in this list over the course of last season, according to Wyscout data.
Club: Newcastle
Age: 24
Approximate market value: £100m+
Contract expiry: 2028
There is no sign that Newcastle would consider selling their star striker - only speculation that he is of interest to top clubs, which is inevitable given his record and performances last season.
Again, only a handful of clubs in the world could afford Isak and the market is just not fluid enough at the moment for a credible bid to appear on the horizon.
According to Wyscout data, Isak has the best goal conversion rate (28.9 per cent) of any of the strikers in this list.
Club: Aston Villa
Age: 28
Approximate market value: £100m+
Contract expiry: 2028
Again, Watkins is another player nigh-on untouchable at his club unless for a stratospheric bid, and those buyers are just not out there at the moment.
Watkins is central to Aston Villa's push to join the elite clubs and he has been superb under Unai Emery last season, scoring 27 times in all competitions. Villa are also in the Champions League now, so the list of reasons to go elsewhere is shrunk.
According to Wyscout's index based on performance data, Watkins was the best-performing centre-forward in the Premier League last season.
