Narrowing down the best available strikers in the 2026 summer transfer window was pretty difficult.
Not only were there fewer players to leave out than in our wingers ranking, but the overall standard is significantly lower. Marcus Rashford, Gabriel Martinelli and Christos Tzolis were among the winger honourable mentions; here, it’s Taty Castellanos and Christian Kofane, with all due respect.
Still, it’s a ranking that needs doing. Here are the 10 best strikers available to sign this summer.
READ MORE: Ten best wingers available this summer: Arsenal, Liverpool targets ahoy as £112m star leads the way
10) Dusan Vlahovic (Free agent)
As it turns out, Arsenal dodged a bullet. Gosh darn it, you’ve done it again, Mikel.
Vlahovic’s Juventus career was 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 Manchester United, Newcastle United or Leeds United. But Saudi Arabia is probably where the big Serb will end up.
9) Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea)
After spending the season at Bayern Munich, Jackson has returned to Chelsea and looks to have avoided a spot in the Blues’ latest ‘bomb squad’… for now.
Some fans might turn their nose up at Jackson, but he really isn’t that bad, though 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.
8) 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.
7) 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.
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 teenager (until July 21) is destined for greatness, and Los Blancos will sell for the right price.
5) Marcus Thuram (Inter)
Serie A is not as popular as it once was and, unfortunately, the World Cup did not give us a closer look at Thuram – a player many only get to watch when a major international tournament comes around
The 28-year-old scored 18 goals and provided nine assists in 44 games for Inter last 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 believed in Guirassy enough to trigger his £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 broke the record for the most goals scored by a teenager in their debut Premier League season in 2025/26, 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 offers both immediate impact and the potential to become a world-beater.
He really is that good. Bournemouth will do well to keep hold of him, but another year at the Vitality Stadium might be the best thing for Kroupi’s development. The Arsenal fan in love with him begrudgingly admits that, and that Tottenham appear the more likely destination.
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 last season, he was not at the World Cup because Nigeria foolishly failed to qualify.
That prevented him from being even more In The Shop Window than he already was and made life a little easier during the opening weeks of the transfer window, though there have been very few links so far.
1) Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid)
As much as Atletico Madrid insist Julian Alvarez is not for sale, it feels increasingly likely that he leaves this summer.
The Argentina striker is a special player and is another reportedly on Arsenal’s radar, though Barcelona remain his most likely destination.
Real Madrid have also been linked and reportedly made an offer worth around €150million. That may have been nothing more than a ploy to put pressure on both Atletico and Barcelona, who appeared to have first dibs on Alvarez at the start of the window.
That no longer seems to be the case, and we might even see Atletico sell to Arsenal to spite one of their biggest rivals. Whatever happens, this saga promises to be one of the summer’s most fascinating.
