Arsenal willing to sanction January transfer of key player

Tom Weber

• Updated: 31 Dec 2023 09:38 GMT
• 3 min read

Arsenal would be willing to loan Takehiro Tomiyasu out in January, according to a report.

The versatile defender's time at Arsenal appears to be coming to an end. His frequent injury issues are a major concern to the Gunners and it has seen him lose his starting spot, with Ben White preferred as a right-back these days. In fact, the Japan international is currently nursing a calf injury.

It has been rumoured for quite some time that Arsenal are annoyed about the 25-year-old's persistent fitness struggles and it is therefore unsurprising that a player like Jeremie Frimpong, one of Europe's most exciting nominal right-backs, is high up on Mikel Arteta's shopping list, as revealed by FootballTransfers.

While a January move for Frimpong is highly unlikely, the same is not the case for Tomiyasu, according to a fresh report out of Italy. Bayern Munich and Napoli are said to be interested in his services and the Gunners appear to have changed their tune regarding a transfer.

Tomiyasu to depart?

According to Il Mattino (via CN24), Arsenal would now be willing to sanction a loan move for the Japanese defender. The Gunners have thus far shown themselves reluctant to allow players to leave in the midst of a title challenge, rejecting loan approaches from Italy for Jakub Kiwior and Crystal Palace's inquiry about Eddie Nketiah - though they did leave the door open for a second offer, FootballTransfers has been told.

The report asserts that Tomiyasu is a player wanted by Napoli, who will reinforce their squad in January after their poor start to the season. “The season is long and we’ll move on the market to make up for what has happened,” club president Aurelio de Laurentiis recently said.

The revelation of Arsenal's supposed willingness to let Tomiyasu leave on loan will also be interesting to Bayern. The Bundesliga giants hold a long-standing interest in Tomiyasu and are keen to bolster their defence for the second half of the season. As a player who can feature on the right and centrally, the 25-year-old is exactly what Thomas Tuchel is said to be looking for.