Arsenal causing concern at Borussia Dortmund after tabling ‘lucrative offer’
German reports suggest that Borussia Dortmund is worried due to Arsenal’s recent offer for Real Valladolid’s right-back Ivan Fresneda.
Both clubs have been interested in the young player since at least January, but it seems Arsenal might have taken the lead in the pursuit.
According to Bild, Dortmund is reportedly planning to use the transfer fee received from Jude Bellingham’s departure to sign three players this summer, including Ivan Fresneda. Fresneda has impressed during his time in La Liga, attracting interest from Newcastle as well as Arsenal and Dortmund.
The German club is particularly concerned about Arsenal’s offer, which is said to be quite lucrative, although no specific details about the fee have been disclosed.
Fresneda has a release clause of slightly over £25 million, but it remains to be seen if Arsenal is willing to meet that amount outright. Interestingly, Fresneda has expressed his admiration for Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, which could potentially indicate his preference for a move to the Gunners.
“The fans have been very supportive from the moment I made my debut and they’ve been asking me to stay,” Fresneda told The Athletic. “My agent keeps me very much on the sidelines. I don’t really like to look at what a journalist might have written, but I’ve lived everything with a lot of emotion. I’m very grateful to the club, to the previous manager, and I’m trying to handle it as naturally as possible.
“I’m very young, I have to go step by step, not go backwards. Being the age I am, you have to keep improving and I’m doing that at Valladolid. Everyone would like to go to the best teams in the world and that is one of my ambitions, of course.
“I like Arteta a lot because I think he’s a great coach; I follow the European leagues and I think the work he’s doing with his club is fantastic. But now with [Paulo] Pezzolano and before with Pacheta we do that style of play, and that style is the one I like the most.”
If Arsenal successfully signs Fresneda, their plans for him are yet to be determined. There is a possibility that the young player could be sent out on loan to gain more first-team experience.
Arsenal has recently faced issues with their defensive depth, as injuries to William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu affected their title challenge. This situation may prompt Arteta to see Fresneda as a potential solution, providing competition for the current right-back, Ben White.
Arsenal causing concern at Borussia Dortmund after tabling ‘lucrative offer’