Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing FC Schalke 04 starlet Matthew Hoppe this summer.
The Gunners have made three signings so far in the summer transfer window, with Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Ben White all arriving to strengthen the squad.
Mikel Arteta wants to make more signings after the north London side missed out on European football for the first time in 25 long years last season.
According to Daily Star, Arsenal are set to battle it out with Everton for Matthew Hoppe, having made an enquiry about the availability of the Schalke striker.
Hoppe finished as the club’s top scorer with six goals in 24 appearances, but he couldn’t save the Gelsenkirchen-based club from getting relegated to 2.Bundesliga.
Schalke’s relegation from the German top-flight has increased Hoppe’s chances of leaving the club this summer, with the young forward currently valued at a paltry £4 million as Schalke look to balance the books.
Matthew Hoppe to Arsenal—Will he be the right fit in Mikel Arteta’s team?
Arsenal struggled to score goals at a consistent rate last season, with striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang suffering indifferent form in front of goal. The Gabonese international’s poor goal-scoring form meant Alexandre Lacazette had to shoulder the responsibility of producing the goods week in, week out.
Lacazette performed very well and ended the campaign with 13 league goals in 31 games. However, the Gunners are prepared to sell the Frenchman in this window as he’s entered the final year of his contract. The north Londoners reportedly seek £15 million having decided against offering the 30-year-old a new contract.
With Eddie Nketiah also likely to be sold, Arsenal definitely need a new striker to compete with Aubameyang and Folarin Balogun, who penned a new four-year deal in April. That’s when the acquisition of Matthew Hoppe would make sense for the Gunners.
Matthew Hoppe, 20, was very part of a young U.S. side that defeated Mexico in the Gold Cup final on Sunday. He only made his USA debut in the group stage of the recently concluded campaign in North America. With a goal and an assist in five games, the young striker played a key role behind his nation’s Gold Cup triumph under Gregg Berhalter.
The 20-year-old moved to FC Schalke from one of Barcelona‘s US academies in 2019. He only managed to break into the senior Schalke side in January, netting an impressive hat-trick against Hoffenheim in their first league win of the 2020/21 campaign.
Hoppe was a rare bright spark in an otherwise torrid 2020/21 campaign for Schalke. He might only be 20 but the Schalke youngster has already shown that he has what it takes to make an impact at the top level, and his performances for the USA in the Gold Cup further was a testament to his skill-set and maturity.
The California native would add a great amount of pace and energy to the Arsenal attack, and allow Arteta to rotate his squad and give Aubameyang some much-needed rest. At 20, the young striker is still learning his trade and has a long way to go in his career.
With Arsenal seemingly looking more towards youth, Arteta and co. cannot afford to miss out on a talent like Hoppe.