Both Liverpool and Arsenal have the same main aim to knock Pep Guardiola off his perch after yet another Premier League triumph last season.
It’s different this time round for Liverpool with Arne Slot in charge, as things are looking extremely promising after three Premier League games.
For Arsenal, they’ve enjoyed a promising start to the season which was slightly scarred by their second-half performance against Brighton after the sending off of Declan Rice.
Manchester City have dominated the Premier League title count over the past couple of years, though the Gunners have ran them close twice, so maybe this is the year.
But, in order to do so both sides may have to strengthen appropriately in January with injuries and improvements becoming visible as the season progresses.
Interestingly, a target for both Liverpool and Arsenal in the summer has made an interesting admission…
Striker admits that Liverpool and Arsenal were asked to pay too much for him
Given the level of both clubs it comes as no surprise to see the two of them fighting for the same players.
Fabrizio Romano expects Benjamin Sesko to be available for Arsenal in 2025 after trying to bring him in earlier on in the summer transfer window.
However, it was Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres who attracted the interest of Arsenal and Liverpool.
Speaking to Sport Bladet, Gyokeres admitted that the £86 million price tag was too much.
“They (Sporting) wanted most of the starting players to stay and held us tight. That’s how it turned out, but I enjoy Sporting very much, so for me it was no problem to stay,” he said.
“Of course. You want to play at the highest level. It (his €100m release clause) was probably a bit too much because nothing came of it. Of course it’s a lot of money. But we’ll see what happens next window…
“Nothing happened and it feels like I had a pretty good season. So yes, that’s probably why there was simply no move. But that’s what Sporting thinks I’m worth, and then you have to respect that.
“I enjoy myself very much in Sporting and can’t complain about anything, so it’s absolutely no problem for me to stay. Of course, you aim to test other leagues and a higher level, but I have no stress.”
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Do Liverpool or Arsenal need him more?
Liverpool already have the likes of Darwin Nunez, Federico Chiesa and Diogo Jota with the ability to play through the middle, so there’s not a desperate need right now.
Arsenal have more of a need after the departure of Eddie Nketiah, with Kai Havertz operating in the false 9 position and Gabriel Jesus the secondary option.
With seven goals and one assist in five games, it’s clear to see that the Swede is still in red hot form after bagging an incredible 43 goals last season.
Should he continue then no doubt more teams will join the race, but the pull of the Premier League may be enough after enjoying his time in England at Coventry City.