Adam Hlozek’s father says Arsenal made a last-ditch attempt to sign his son

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Adam Hlozek‘s father has just come out and claimed that Arsenal made a late attempt to sign his son before he completed his move to Bayer Leverkusen.

It was never a secret that Arsenal’s priority in this summer’s transfer window was a new striker. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left back in February, and it was then confirmed at the end of the season that Alexandre Lacazette would be leaving the club as well.

There was even a point when it looked like Eddie Nketiah would leave for free, which is why Arsenal were looking to sign two new strikers instead of one.

We’ve found out now that Gabriel Jesus was Mikel Arteta’s number one transfer target, and Arsenal have got him over the line. The other one was apparently Hlozek, if his father’s words are anything to go by.

• PHOTO: 17-YEAR-OLD ARSENAL YOUNGSTER NOW BATTLES WITH GABRIEL JESUS IN TRAINING AFTER GETTING FIRST XI CALL-UP

Adam Hlozek’s father says Arsenal tried to sign his son

Hlozek completed his move from Sparta Prague to Bayer Leverkusen at the start of last month. The Czech international, still only 19, is a fantastic prospect, and a number of clubs across Europe were keeping an eye on him.

Arsenal have been linked in the past, and Edu apparently made a last-ditch attempt to sign him before he joined Leverkusen. Unfortunately for the Gunners, it was too late.

Zbynek Hlozek told iSport.cz: “There was Newcastle, they were somewhere else financially. Lyon, Sevilla, Dortmund, Bayern… however, we wanted to give the next step a little sense, so as not to jump to a mega-club right away.

“When Leverkusen was almost done, we heard about a huge intervention from Arsenal. But the negotiation was already a long way down the line.”

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Hlozek really is a great talent.

The 19-year-old, branded as an ‘extraordinary player’ by Pavel Paska, scored 12 goals and provided 15 assists in all competitions for Sparta Prague last season. He was always destined for a big transfer this summer, and a move to Leverkusen is perfect for him.

Had Nketiah left Arsenal, signing a player like Hlozek would’ve made a lot of sense for the Gunners. Thankfully for them, it has all worked out now.

Gabriel Jesus will be Arsenal’s number one striker next season, with Nketiah playing as a backup. Gabriel Martinelli can also play there, as can young Folarin Balogun, who is a really bright prospect as well.

Arsenal won’t really regret missing out on Hlozek, but it will be interesting to see how the teenager fares in Germany next season.