Arsenal have officially entered talks to sign Real Valladolid right-back Ivan Fresndea, according to reports.
The Gunners have already completed the £27million acquisition of Leandro Trossard from Brighton, with the Belgian signed in time to feature this weekend vs Manchester United. And one is quickly set to become two, with Spezia defender Jakub Kiwior’s arrival expected to be confirmed imminently.
Mikel Arteta has made it clear that he wants to add to the depth within his squad this month, despite his side sitting at the top of the Premier League table. However, having seen their top-four hopes dashed by a lack of options last season, the Spaniard is determined that history won’t repeat itself.
And multiple reports now suggest that Fresneda is on Arsenal's radar to become their third signing of the window. A host of clubs are chasing the 18-year-old, with the LaLiga outfit resigned to losing the player.
Valladolid left Fresneda out of their squad for the 3-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid on Saturday, a telling sign that an exit could be on the cards before next week’s deadline. Arsenal are understood to be competing against clubs including Premier League rivals Newcastle United and are set for more talks with his agent next week.
Fresneda has a reported release clause of £8.8m in his current contract, meaning that Arsenal would only need to convince the player of the move - rather than his club. Should a deal be completed, it appears to all but confirm that Cedric Soares will be completing an exit in the coming days.
Cedric has played just 28 minutes in the league this season and has slipped down the pecking order behind Benjamin White and Takehiro Tomiyasu. Fulham are hopeful of signing the Portuguese international, either on loan or on a permanent deal.
The Athletic report that while a deal isn’t close yet, Marco Silva is hoping for a reunion with a player he managed during his time as Sporting boss. Fulham are open to a temporary transfer until the end of the season but would need to decide on the futures of Dan James and Shane Duffy, who fill their quota of Premier League loans.
Arteta has remained coy on the defender’s future but has been adamant that the strength of the squad wouldn’t be reduced in the middle of a title charge.
“We know where we are in terms of the squad and the numbers that we have, so we’re going to be extremely cautious in what we do in this window,” said Arteta.
He added last week: "We have excellent players. We want to improve our squad in this transfer window and when I say we, myself, the coaching staff, the staff, the players, the board, and ownership.
“We are all in this together, but we will do the deals that we can do and that we believe is right for the football club."
