Premier League leaders Arsenal are reportedly set to demand a premium to sell fringe defender Jakub Kiwior in the upcoming January transfer window amid interest from AC Milan.
According to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb, Arsenal will not entertain loan offers for versatile Polish defender Jakub Kiwior. The Gunners will only consider a “very high level proposal” for a permanent sale as Mikel Arteta aims to maintain a deep squad in the midst of a full-blown title charge this season.
The Gunners signed Kiwior from Serie A side Spezia in a deal worth around £20 million last January in a bid to solidify their squad for the title run-in. But while Arsenal ultimately ended up finishing runners-up to Manchester City, the Pole has since gone on to prove himself as a useful member of the squad. Indeed, he has gone on to make 19 appearances for the club, including 11 in all competitions so far this season.
So far this season, the 23-year-old has started three Premier League games and has managed just 478 minutes across all competitions this season. And while not a nailed-on starter, with Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba firmly established as the first-choice centre-back pairing, Kiwior has offered cover for the duo and also operated at left-back for Oleksandr Zinchenko whenever required.
As a result, it arrives as a big surprise that the Gunners’ are now considering the sale of the 19-time capped Poland international after only one year at the club. Recent reports also state that Arteta will not stand in the player’s way if he wants to leave, with both Roma and AC Milan linked with his signature in recent weeks.
Many now view the north Londoners as title favourites, with that six-point buffer over reigning champions City potentially proving significant, so losing a key rotation option in Kiwior could even cost them the Premier League title given their lack of cover, with Jurrien Timber facing a long road back from an ACL injury and Takehiro Tomiyasu currently out with a calf issue and seemingly very injury-prone.
At the same time, recouping sizeable money from the defender’s sale could give Arsenal the wriggle room to spend on a new midfielder or an attack-minded right-back in January.
