According to the BBC, Arsenal's recruitment expert Maurizio Micheli flew to Sweden last week specifically to assess the 24-year-old, with sources describing the club's interest as concrete. Crystal Palace attempted to sign Tzolis last summer but were unsuccessful.
Tzolis began his career at PAOK before a difficult spell in England with Norwich City, where he managed just three goals in 30 appearances between 2021 and 2024. A loan to Fortuna Düsseldorf transformed his career, with the Greek international scoring 22 goals in 30 second-division matches and helping the club reach the DFB-Pokal semi-finals. Club Brugge signed him on a permanent basis in the summer of 2024 for approximately €6.5 million, with Fortuna having exercised a €3.5 million purchase option from Norwich shortly beforehand.
The move to Belgium has been transformative. Tzolis scored 17 goals and added 23 assists in a single league season for Brugge, and across his two campaigns at the club has produced 33 goals in total, helping Club Brugge win their 20th Belgian league title last term. According to The Athletic's David Ornstein, his combined output across all competitions for Brugge stands at 22 goals and 29 assists in 52 appearances.
Despite signing a new contract until 2029 last summer, Brugge's leverage in any negotiation is considerable — they face no pressure to sell and have been described as holding out for what would be a record fee for the Belgian league, surpassing the existing €37.5 million benchmark.
Arsenal's pursuit of Tzolis does not preclude their continued interest in Aston Villa forward Morgan Rogers, who remains a genuine target as the club look to add a new attacker as a top priority this summer. Arsenal have also explored a move for Juventus's Kenan Yıldız, though the Italian club have made clear the Turkey international is not for sale. Chelsea and Manchester United have also registered interest in Tzolis, adding further competition to a deal that, even at £35-40 million, would represent one of the more eye-catching pieces of business in a market increasingly short on bargains.
For Brugge, who turned a €6.5 million outlay into a player now valued at six times that figure within two years, the negotiation that follows will determine just how shrewd that piece of business ultimately becomes.