Alvarez, Osimhen, Kroupi: Arsenal, Chelsea targets in ranking of top 10 available strikers | OneFootball

There are fewer honourable mentions than in our wingers feature, that much is for sure, but the best available forwards are still a struggle to narrow down.

Not only were there fewer players to leave out, but the standard is also a lot lower. Marcus Rashford, Gabriel Martinelli and Christos Tzolis were among the winger honourable mentions, whereas here it is Taty Castellanos and Christian Kofane, with all due respect.

Still, this is a ranking that needs doing, and here it is: the 10 best strikers available to sign in the 2026 summer transfer window.

10) Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus)

As it turns out, Arsenal dodged a bullet. Gosh darn it, you’ve done it again, Mikel.

Vlahovic’s Juventus career has been a huge disappointment, but his availability on a free transfer makes him an interesting proposition this summer.

We’d like to see Vlahovic in the Premier League, but we have no idea where he could end up. He could play for Chelsea, Newcastle United or Leeds United; we genuinely have no idea.

Saudi Arabia is probably where the big Serbian striker will end up.

9) Omar Marmoush (Manchester City)

There are many factors that could suggest someone is not ‘available’, and Marmoush having a new manager next season is one of them.

Regardless, he has not played a lot of football – under 700 minutes in the 2025/26 Premier League season – and could fancy a fresh start following Pep Guardiola’s departure from Manchester City.

It’s clear that Marmoush is a decent player with a wonderful right foot, and there have been transfer rumours ranging from Barcelona to Aston Villa. He would be a superb signing for the Europa League winners, providing something different as they look to push on again next season.

8) Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea)

After spending the season at Bayern Munich, Jackson will return to Chelsea following Senegal’s World Cup campaign, and we fear he will head straight into the club’s latest ‘bomb squad’.

Bayern are unlikely to sign Jackson permanently, freeing him up to join a new club in the summer transfer window. Some fans might turn their nose up at Jackson, but he really isn’t that bad.

He is another player whose level is difficult to ascertain. Jackson could start next season at Crystal Palace or Paris Saint-Germain. Wherever he goes, whether as a first or second option, he will do well.

7) Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace)

Mateta fell out with the Palace supporters after pushing for a January transfer that was blocked by a knee injury, but he won them over in the most effective way possible: scoring goals.

The French striker scored no goal bigger than Palace’s winner in this season’s Europa Conference League final, and if he does leave this summer, he will go with their blessing. If he stays? Even better. But it feels like Mateta fancies a new challenge.

6) Endrick (Real Madrid)

A superb young talent, Endrick shone on loan at Lyon in the second half of 2025/26 after being unable to get a kick under Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid.

It’s unclear whether that loan will help Endrick become a Madrid regular or whether the Spanish giants will cash in this summer. Either way, the 19-year-old is destined for greatness, and Los Blancos will sell for the right price.

5) Marcus Thuram (Inter)

Serie A is not a very popular league these days, so the World Cup will be another opportunity to get a closer look at Thuram – someone most of us only see play when a major tournament comes around.

The 28-year-old scored 18 goals and provided nine assists in 44 games for Inter this season, and with only two years left on his contract, this summer could be the perfect time to cash in.

Arsenal have been strongly linked in the past, and Thuram’s €50million Transfermarkt valuation feels pretty fair.

4) Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund)

Guirassy being 30 years old could prevent him from making a career-defining move this summer, but if elite clubs can overlook his age, they will be signing a certified goal-getter.

Since joining Stuttgart in 2022, Guirassy has been scoring goals for fun, earning himself a move to Dortmund two years later.

For some reason, only Dortmund were willing to trigger Guirassy’s very tasty £15m release clause, and they have been greatly appreciative of the lack of competition, watching him score 60 goals in 96 games since.

3) Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth)

We are looking at a genuine wonderkid in Kroupi, who has just broken the record for the most goals scored by a teenager in their debut Premier League season, netting a crucial goal against Manchester City to help Arsenal become champions of England for the first time in 22 years.

Sticking with the Gunners, Kroupi is someone they should be targeting. A young French striker in the mould of Thierry Henry is too good to ignore and, with Gabriel Jesus set to leave and Viktor Gyokeres yet to set the world alight, a new striker would not go amiss. Kroupi has the ability to make an instant impact and the potential to become a club legend.

He really is that good. Bournemouth will do well to keep him, but another year at the Vitality Stadium might be the right thing for Kroupi’s career – the Arsenal fan in love with him begrudgingly admits.

2) Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray)

Ah, s**t, here we go again.

Every single summer, we find ourselves asking: Why is nobody taking a punt on Osimhen? And every single summer, we wonder whether it’s his attitude, his wage demands, or perhaps, dare we say it, a bit of both.

What is certain is that Osimhen is an elite striker. Galatasaray were more than happy to take the Nigerian on loan in 2024/25 and then sign him permanently last summer, and they will not let him go on the cheap.

Osimhen is just so Chelsea, isn’t he? And if he goes there, John Obi Mikel might finally be in a good mood.

At 27 years of age, the window is closing for Osimhen to come to the Premier League and make a significant impact. After scoring 22 goals and providing eight assists in 33 games this season, he will not be at the World Cup because Nigeria foolishly failed to qualify.

That prevents him from being even more In The Shop Window than he already is, but it does make life a little easier in the transfer market.

1) Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid)

As much as Atletico Madrid will say Alvarez is not for sale, there is a food chain in football and Atletico are not at the top of it. Real Madrid and Barcelona are, and Barcelona want Alvarez, seemingly have the money to sign him, and will probably really p*ss off their La Liga rivals with their pursuit before eventually getting their man.

Alvarez is a special player and another reportedly on Arsenal’s radar. It does feel like Barcelona already have first dibs on the Argentine, though.

This is a transfer saga that could become very tedious very quickly, we fear.