Arsenal have tabled a ‘lucrative’ offer to bring Real Vallodolid defender Ivan Fresneda to the Emirates Stadium this summer, but continue to face competition from Borussia Dortmund for his signature six months on from failing to land him in January.
The two sides went head-to-head for the 20 year-olds signature in January, but the Spaniard opted to stay in La Liga to finish the season, where he has shone despite being in a relegation side.
He is under contract until 2025 and has a release clause of £27m, though it is expected that the teenager will depart for less than that this summer following his side’s drop into the second tier of Spanish football.
Still just 18, German outlet Bild have claimed that he has lucrative offers on the table from both Mikel Arteta’s side and Borussia Dortmund, though Arsenal are likely to be able to offer a bigger transfer fee.
Valladolid boss Pacheta has already revealed that he expects Fresneda’s departure sooner rather than later, and has previously claimed that the teenager plays with a wisdom and maturity well beyond his years.
“I think Fresneda has few games left with the Real Valladolid shirt. He is 18 years old, but he does things that people of 30 do”, he explained.
Defensively, the Spaniard is excellent. At the time of writing he ranks in the top percentile for tackles per game (3.54) and in the top 5 percent for clearances (3.17) compared to other players in his position.
Arsenal have also been linked to Mohamed Simakan of RB Leipzig and Sacha Boey from Galatasaray as they look to provide cover for Ben White ahead of the new season.
