Premier League leaders Arsenal hold talks with Real Valladolid full-back Ivan Fresneda as they look to sign him ahead of next season.
According to a report by Kaya Kaynak via GiveMeSport, Arsenal have already held talks with the representatives of Real Valladolid right-back Ivan Fresneda. The Gunners are keen on signing the 18-year-old ahead of next season. And, they are already pushing to land him at the Emirates Stadium.
The London-based club have been interested in the Valladolid full-back for a while. The teenager has been impressive for the Spanish outfit in the ongoing season. He has attracted a lot of attention of late. As per Kaynak, sporting director Edu had talks with Fresneda’s agent back in January as they look to add him to their ranks.
Kaynak said: “The meetings took place in January between Edu and the player’s representatives. There are a lot of teams that are interested in Fresneda and this is a running theme throughout Arsenal’s transfer business.
“Lots of teams are interested in trying to sign their targets. We saw this in January with Mudryk and Caicedo as well. It’s the same with Fresneda because Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund are interested, so there is lots of competition for him.”
The 18-year-old was a part of the Real Madrid youth academy back in the day. But, things didn’t work out according to plan for him at Madrid. He joined the Vallolid youth academy back in the summer of 2020. He has gone up the ranks at the club and was promoted to their first team ahead of the ongoing season.
Fresneda has made 12 appearances for the Spanish club. He has had quite a few impressive outings and averages 2.9 tackles, 2.5 clearances and 1.3 interceptions per La Liga outing. Those are great numbers for any full-back let alone an 18-year-old.
The Spain Under-19 star’s contract at Valladolid ends in the summer of 2025. However, there is a £27 million release clause in his contract. And, Arsenal are all set to trigger it in the summer. The Gunners did try to sign him in the winter but failed to get it over the line as the player decided to stay in Spain until the end of the season.
Meanwhile, the Gunners are on an outstanding run in the Premier League. They are leading the race for the title with 63 points out of their 26 matches. And, are all set to return to the UEFA Champions League after seven years.
Mikel Arteta will look to add more firepower to his ranks in the summer as they look to take the next step. The Spanish manager has identified a need to sign a new right-back. He wants to have a more attacking option on the right side of his defence.
The arrival of the 18-year-old will add pace as well as stability to his defence. Fresneda’s numbers in the ongoing season are better than their current first-choice right-back Ben White. And, he will surely be a great addition to the side.
However, it will be interesting to see if they can manage to sign him amidst interest from across Europe. Newcastle United, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund are a few of the clubs that are interested in the full-back. And, they will surely make Arsenal’s life difficult as they strike a deal for Ivan Fresneda.
