Transfer news: Arsenal make record offer after coach's plea for reinforcements

Arsenal Women have made a world record offer to Manchester United in a bid to sign Alessia Russo before Tuesday's 5 p.m. transfer deadline. The Gunners are currently battling the Red Devils and Chelsea for the WSL title, and head coach Jonas Eidevall has made a plea for the club to sign a prolific goal scorer.

The Swedish football coach lost two of his biggest attacking threats - Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema - to long-term ACL injuries late last year. Eidevall was desperate to fill the huge void left by the Ballon d'Or nominees during the January transfer window.

Arsenal recalled young Brazilian forward Gio Queiroz from her loan at Everton, while also adding depth in midfield with the signings of 19-year-old Danish sensation Kathrine Kuhl and Netherlands' Victoria Pelova. The Gunners are not done, and have made signing a forward a priority before Tuesday's deadline.

The Gunners were linked with Brazil forward Debinha earlier in the month, but have decided to look domestically for reinforcements. According to The Athletic's David Ornstein, Arsenal have submitted a world-record bid for Manchester United women forward Russo.

The previous world record was held by Barcelona when they signed English midfielder Kiera Walsh from Manchester City for £400,000. Arsenal are hoping to tempt United to cash in on Russo since she is in the final six months of her deal with no new agreement in place.

Eidevall expressed his desire to add a "prolific forward" to his squad before deadline day, especially with Arsenal competing on multiple fronts. He said: "I would be disappointed if we can't bring in a prolific goalscorer in addition to the signings already. That should be a really important priority for us in this window."

However, as per Telegraph Sport's Tom Garry, the United women's side have rejected Arsenal's offer. The Manchester United, who are eyeing their first ever WSL title, have no interest in strengthening a rival, especially this late in the transfer window.

The two clubs, however, remain in talks. Arsenal are expected to continue their efforts to bring the 23-year-old England international to North London. Russo has been impressive so far this season, scoring five goals in nine WSL games.