Arsenal, Liverpool, and Barcelona are set to lock horns in the upcoming transfer market to secure the signature of highly-rated Dutch defender Micky van de Ven.
According to Bild journalist Christian Falk in Caught Offside, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Barcelona are among the European super clubs interested in signing 21-year-old central defender Micky van de Ven from Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg in the summer transfer window.
As well as listing a whole host of clubs from across Europe battling it out for the 21-year-old and stating that Wolfsburg would be willing to entertain further transfer talk if they received an offer in the ballpark of €30 million, Falk has outlined the complete skillset of the youngster in his report.
Falk wrote, “The player himself has said he has no problem with staying another year but has also mentioned he’s open for a switch to Spain and the Premier League. So he’s already thinking about his future.
“Many clubs are scouting him at the moment, it’s a really long list; Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Roma, AC Milan… so you see, he’s a very attractive option.
“It’s not the case that he feels he has to leave this summer but I think if he keeps up the quality of his performances this season, next summer one of these clubs will be prepared to pay what Wolfsburg are looking for.”
Regarded as one of the brightest central defensive prospects in the European circuit, the Netherlands Under-21 international has impressed this season and has established himself as a key player for Wolfsburg, making a total of 28 competitive appearances so far this season. He has also made six appearances for his national side at the Under-21 level.
Van de Ven was recently rewarded with a new deal at the Volkswagen Arena earlier this month that extends his stay at the Bundesliga club until 2027, which has also seen a rise in his pay packet. However, that has not put Arsenal, Liverpool, and Barcelona off.
Barcelona, for one, are interested in the talented centre-back. But the €30 million transfer figure could make it difficult for Xavi Hernandez’s side to acquire his signature given their perilous financial position. On the other hand, van de Ven’s salary and valuation may not be an issue for the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool.
A young, quick centre-back available for a reasonable fee certainly fits the bill in Mikel Arteta and Edu’s recent recruitment strategy, so it’s easy to see why Arsenal would be interested in adding van de Ven to their defensive ranks, especially given that Ben White has mostly played as a right-back this season and they haven’t yet tied down William Saliba to a new contract.
As for Liverpool, van de Ven is the latest in a long line of young centre-backs to be linked with a move to Anfield this summer. It seems that the Reds are planning for life without veteran defender Joel Matip, who has been put on the transfer list, per Football Insider.
Before Liverpool fans start dreaming of an all-Dutch pairing of Van Dijk and van de Ven, the Reds could really struggle to bring the Dutchman to Merseyside without any Champions League football given the competition.
