Arsenal have been dealt a serious blow ahead of the summer transfer window.
Mikel Arteta’s side are in great form and have perhaps been the biggest winners in the league since the resumption of proceedings following the COVID-19 enforced shutdown.
Indeed, they have won all of their last four games, beating Southampton, Sheffield United, Norwich City, and Wolves.
They have scored 10 goals and conceded just once, which is all the more impressive when one considers how well both the Blades and Wolves are going in the table.
Arteta’s men are currently seventh, six points behind fifth-placed Manchester United – a fifth-placed finish could be enough for them to qualify for the Champions League given Manchester City’s likely ban from the competition next season.
They have a difficult run-in, playing Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, and Manchester City before the end of the season, but plans for the summer are already taking shape.
Dayot Upamecano is seen as a potential summer target as the window looms, but a new report states that the defender may prove somewhat unattainable.
The Daily Mirror carries quotes from RB Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff, who spoke to Kicker, insisting that the defender is likely to be playing for the Bundesliga club next season.
Upamecano’s current contract expires in 2021 but he is set to follow Timo Werner’s example by signing a new contract, essentially safeguarding the club’s ability to demand a fee, before moving on in a later window.
He said: “I assume that he will also play for us next season. We are in good talks to find a solution to prevent him from leaving on a free transfer next year.”
Werner eventually moved to Chelsea for a £47.5 million fee and Upamecano is valued at £40.5m by Transfermarkt.
GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…
Arsenal need to move quickly here.
If they want Upamecano, they need to make an opening gambit in the coming weeks, in order to place a seed of doubt in the France U21 international’s mind.
If he does end up penning a new deal at Leipzig, they can instantly up their asking price and point to his contract length as a result.
It has a twofold effect on Arsenal’s transfer plans if he does pen a new contract.
Firstly, a transfer becomes next to impossible this summer.
Secondly, the Gunners may need deeper pockets than they first assumed to snaffle the 21-year-old away from the German club.