Arsenal have been urged to sign Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku this summer by Darren Bent.

Juventus are deep in talks with the Blues regarding a possible swap deal involving Dusan Vlahovic and the Belgian striker. Whilst the deal would seemingly be good for all involved parties, the gap in valuation between the two players means Juventus want at least €35-40m in cash as well.

Bent said: “I said it before when we were speaking in the pre-show meeting about centre forwards that are out there.

“I’m a big fan of Nketiah, I know not everyone is but I think he’s a goalscorer, if you give him opportunities he will score.

“I think Balogun did really well [on loan at Reims] so I think a lot of Arsenal fans are kind of crying out to see what he can do.

“But I even said for a year, if it was an option, I would’ve taken Lukaku. I know a lot of Arsenal fans are probably thinking, ‘Absolutely not!’, but I think I would.

“He’s got pedigree in the Premier League, he’s a big, physical presence, he’s a battering ram. A little bit like when Olivier Giroud was at Arsenal, you can play off him.

“I think that would have been good but if you can’t get him and you don’t fancy Nketiah, you don’t fancy Balogun, there’s not many out there.”