Arsenal face FRUSTRATING problem over €35 million rising star

Robin Bairner

11 Dec 2023 11:34 GMT
3 min read

Miguel Gutierrez, Girona, 2023/24 — © ProShots

Arsenal and Bayern Munich are among the clubs chasing Girona left-back Miguel Gutierrez, but the two giants face the prospect of being frustrated in their efforts to sign the 22-year-old Spaniard.

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Relevo reports that both the Gunners and FCB have an interest in the attack-minded player but there’s a hitch – Manchester City are also tracking the youngster.

Should Man City make their interest in the player concrete, they will surely land the former Real Madrid youth. After all, Girona are also owned by the City Football Group (CFG), and while that is threatening to see City unexpectedly excluded from the Champions League, it does mean that a successful deal is inevitable.

Gutierrez has been a regular member of the Girona squad that has surprisingly opened up a two-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga, capped by a stunning 4-2 victory over Barcelona away from home on Sunday.

Indeed, the left wing-back was on target in that game, getting Girona’s second in a famous success. He took advantage of some lacklustre defending to charge into space and shoot home from long range, scoring a memorable first goal of the season.

Reason for optimism?

Gutierrez is not exclusively owned by CFG, with Real Madrid still holding 50% of his economic rights, and there is a ray of hope for Arsenal and Bayern in this particular transfer pursuit.

If either of these clubs triggers Gutierrez’s €35 million release clause, half of which is destined for Los Blancos, they will be able to hold contract talks with the player and persuade him of their project.

Of course, Man City still hold the upper hand in this regard as the player is already integrated into their wider project and will be acutely aware of the benefits signing for the treble winners can bring.

Gutierrez presently has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €16.4m, so triggering his release clause will mean paying of the odds, but given he was worth just €1.2m when he signed for Girona little over a year ago, Arsenal or Bayern may see this as a gamble worth taking.