Arsenal in ‘very advanced’ transfer talks over Kiwior - Fabrizio Romano

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 20 Jan 2023 14:37 GMT
• 11 min read

Arsenal are closing in on the capture of Spezia defender Jakub Kiwior for a fee in excess of €20 million, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Reports from Italy suggest that the fee for the 22-year-old could be worth up to €25m once bonuses are included.

Kiwior has signed a five-year contract with Arsenal that will run until June 2028.

This follows hot on the heels of the Brighton attacker Leandro Trossard" href="https://www.footballtransfers.com/en/transfer-news/uk-premier-league/2023/01/leandro-trossard-to-arsenal-a-done-deal-for-gbp27m" target="_blank">Gunners closing in on a deal for Brighton attacker Leandro Trossard, whose switch to the Premier League leaders from the Seagulls for €31m (£27m) is close to completion.

MORE: Brighton tell Arsenal-bound Trossard: We don’t need you!

Although Arsenal have been seeking defensive reinforcements throughout this window, the news that they are so close to a deal still comes as something of a surprise.

According to Romano, talks for Kiwior are “very advanced” and he is already in London for a medical.

MORE: Three reasons Arsenal are better off with Trossard than Mudryk

Arsenal have a €25m gem in Kiwior

Kiwior is a central defender who has featured 20 times for Spezia this season in all competitions, while he has nine caps for Poland, all won this year. Indeed, he has started every match for his national team during the 2022/23 season, with the only three minutes of action he has missed coming against France as his side were knocked out of the 2022 World Cup.

FootballTransfers gives Kiwior an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €21m, which is precisely the fee that Gunners are poised to pay for him.

Kiwior’s performances in Serie A this season have been formidable. He places among the best players in his position, according to SciSports, as the below interactive graphic shows.

He rates highly in all areas of the game but particularly in terms of recoveries and prevention. Gunners fans will be delighted to learn that he does not have any clear area of weakness.

Kiwior's signing for Arsenal may have come as a bolt from the blue, but it appears another very good piece of transfer business from technical director Edu and his staff.