Arsenal have upped their pursuit of Real Vallodolid talent Ivan Fresneda following their Mykhaylo Mudryk deal falling through, according to reports.
The Gunners were thought to be in pole position for Mudryk, only for Chelsea to swoop in while the club remained just short of Shakhtar’s valuation of the talent, agreeing a 100m euro deal to take Mudryk to west London, rather than north.
It has left Arsenal and Mikel Arteta moving onto other targets, and as per a report by local news in the first week of January, the Gunners had agreed to turn their attentions to signing the Spaniard after concluding a deal for Mudryk.
The Telegraph now report, however, that Edu is ready to make a move, with Arsenal having ‘joined the race’ for the teenager, who is also attracting the attentions of Newcastle United and both Milan clubs.
Though his release clause sits at 30m euros, Vallodolid would reportedly accept less this January, with the report suggesting that he could be available for between £10m and £15m, though they add that ‘Arsenal may prefer to wait until the summer to make their move’.
Should interest from other parties solidify, however, they may be forced to act earlier.
Who is Ivan Fresneda?
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.
“If I was at another club, I would go for him without hesitation, his data is brutal and you are not buying the current player, you are buying what he can become in a few years.”
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.
Any move for the youngster would likely go hand-in-hand with the departure of Cedric Soares, who has been linked with a move to Fulham this January.
