Arsenal make "lucrative offer" for wonderkid, with first bid of the window confirmed: report

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Arsenal are chasing a wonderkid as their first move of the window, as Mikel Arteta looks to improve his squad

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta speaks to Sky Sports prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Arsenal FC at St. James Park on May 07, 2023 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
(Image credit: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Arsenal have made a "lucrative offer" to a highly-rated wonderkid, as Mikel Arteta looks to improve upon his squad.

The Gunners finished just five points behind eventual champions Manchester City in the end, having led the Premier League table for the majority of the season. Ultimately, Arsenal's lack of depth has been blamed by many for the collapse. 

After losing Takehiro Tomiyasu and William Saliba in the same game – against Sporting in the Europa League – Arteta was forced to experiment with his defence – and now, it appears he is set to address this issue first in the transfer window.

William Saliba of Arsenal leaves the pitch after picking up an injury during the UEFA Europa League round of 16 leg two match between Arsenal FC and Sporting CP at Emirates Stadium on March 16, 2023 in London, England.

Arsenal have lacked defensive options in the absence of William Saliba (Image credit: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

According to BILD, Arsenal have made a "lucrative offer" for Real Valladolid wonderkid Ivan Fresneda, as Arteta looks to revolutionise his side.

This season, Ben White has played as the first-choice right-back after beginning his Arsenal career centrally. Fresneda is a right-back by trade, however, who can drift into midfield. 

The 18-year-old would not only provide cover for White and Tomiyasu on the right of the back four, he would also enable White to fill in centrally in Saliba's absence. The left-footed Jakub Kiwior has had to slot into that role on the right of the defensive partnership, while Rob Holding has played there, too. 

Fresneda is also a completely different profile to Brooke Norton-Cuffy, the Hale End right-back who has spent the second half of this season on loan at playoff finalists, Coventry City.

Ivan Fresneda of Real Valladolid runs with the ball during the LaLiga Santander match between Real Valladolid CF and Rayo Vallecano at Estadio Municipal Jose Zorrilla on January 14, 2023 in Valladolid, Spain.

Ivan Fresneda of Real Valladolid has been approached by Arsenal (Image credit: Diego Souto/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)

It is possible, too, that Moises Caicedo could play at right-back. Thomas Partey filled in the position for the Gunners' final two games of the season – similar to the role that Caicedo has played for Brighton. With the Ecuadorian a target for the Gunners, Arteta may well have been testing his system for his arrival.

Fresneda is valued at €10 million by Transfermarkt. 

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Arsenal are ready for a huge summer, with their wage structure set to loosen in the advent of reaching the Champions League once more. Declan Rice remains the priority target.

Five first-teamers are expected, with RB Leipzig defender Mohamed Simakin, Real Madrid star Ferland Mendy, former academy graduate Yunus Musah and two more Manchester City stars all rumoured. Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace, Aurelien Tchouameni of Real Madrid and N'Golo Kante of Chelsea have all been linked.

Mark White
Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.