Arsenal set to miss out on Ivan Fresneda as Sporting agree deal in principle
Sporting Lisbon have agreed a deal in principle with Real Valladolid to sign right-back Ivan Fresneda, according to Portuguese publication Record (page 7).
The 18-year-old was regularly linked with Arsenal during the January transfer window, but a transfer did not materialise as the Spanish side decided to keep him.
With Valladolid now relegated to La Liga 2, they have decided to cash in on Fresneda and Record report that Sporting have won the race to land his signature.
The likes of Arsenal and Barcelona have also been monitoring him closely, but Sporting are the only club that have made an official bid to sign the promising ace.
They have agreed to pay €10 million up front with €5m in variables. Valladolid have granted them permission to finalise terms with the teenage full-back.
Arsenal may have other priorities before transfer deadline
The Gunners recently suffered a huge blow with Jurrien Timber sustaining an anterior cruciate knee ligament damage.
The club are likely to pursue a replacement for the injured Dutchman. Manager Mikel Arteta could be looking for a defender, who can operate in multiple roles.
Timber is primarily a centre-back, but the Gunners boss decided to play him in the full-back positions from pre-season before his unfortunate injury this month.
In our view, Fresneda is clearly not ready to step up for the Gunners. He is very experienced at 18, and has played just one season in the top-flight with Valladolid.
The Spaniard may want an assured starting role which the club can’t offer. We believe the Gunners could target someone like Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters.
The 26-year-old does not possess the strong passing skills of Timber, but would be a good addition with his ability to operate from right back as well as left-back.
He has impressed with his tackling, duel winning ability as well as his dribbling skills. He could be considered as a short-term fix until Timber returns to action.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
