Arsenal are looking to sell a defender this January permanently, with the chances of a loan move shut down completely.
The Gunners spent big on defender Riccardo Calafiori over the summer, making the Italian their headline acquisition. While manager Mikel Arteta has been accused of being too cautious or defensive, Arsenal have built a solid base over the last year to have the Premier League’s most reliable backline.
Recent weeks, however, have tested that theory. Arteta’s men are on a three-match losing run in the league, with Chelsea up next when Premier League action returns this weekend – and now, one defender’s days are numbered.
Arsenal ‘want a permanent sale’ in defence
An injury crisis has struck Arsenal of late – but the north Londoners still boast impressive depth at the back.
William Saliba and Gabriel are the first-choice centre-back partnership – and are ranked at No.1 and No.6 respectively in FourFourTwo’s list of the best centre-backs in the world right now – with full-backs Jurrien Timber and Ben White both able to slot in centrally. Calafiori is able to play at left-back or centrally, Takehiro Tomiyasu is an option across the defence and Oleksandr Zinchenko can invert from left-back.
One man whose days may well be numbered, however, is Jakub Kiwior.
The Pole emerged last season during an injury crisis at left-back to cover admirably in that position but has had limited game time this season, despite the injuries. Now, Tuttomercatoweb say that Arsenal want to sell Kiwior in January, rather than send him on loan.
Arsenal are demanding between €20-25 million – which is around the same figure that they bought the former Spezia man for. Antonio Conte’s Napoli has been touted as a potential destination, with TEAMtalk relaying reports over the summer from journalist Alfredo Pedula that Inter Milan held talks to sign the star.
Kiwior eventually remained in London, though, but came under scrutiny recently following a major error in the defeat to Bournemouth.
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FourFourTwo understands that there was interest in Kiwior last January, only for the Gunners to offer the Polish international more game-time in the second half of the season. In our opinion, a move is the best option for both parties now, as Arsenal look to tighten the margins and the 24-year-old seeks regular football.
Kiwior is worth €30m, as per Transfermarkt. Arsenal take on Inter tonight when Champions League action returns.
