- 3 hours ago
Arteta u-turn gives Arsenal incredible €80m transfer saving
Suraj Radia
- 23 Apr 2025 09:15 CDT
- 4 min read
Analysis
Arsenal’s transfer plans could have taken a late alteration after recent developments could see Mikel Arteta save as much as €80 million on one of his reported summer targets.
The Gunners have already begun their plans to strengthen this summer after another season of falling short in their chase for the Premier League title, although a historic Champions League trophy could still be on the cards.
READ MORE: Fabrizio Romano Transfer News: Cunha to Man Utd BOMB, Man City eye England international
Arteta is expected to focus his attention on attackers such as Nico Williams and Viktor Gyokeres, while a €60m deal for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi is expected to be concluded at the end of the campaign.
However, a defender could also be brought in with Kieran Tierney set to depart and doubts over Oleksandr Zinchenko’s future, while Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori have struggled with injury all season.
The situation has led Arsenal considering a move for Murillo, according to CaughtOffside, who is valued at €80m having been monitored by the Gunners and Liverpool in recent months.
Current ETV
Murillo
D (C)
Nottingham
Murillo
D (C)
Nottingham
ETV Range
€59.4M - €72.6M
The Brazilian would help provide competition to Gabriel Magalhaes at left centre-back but Arteta’s thoughts could be turned by the form of Jakub Kiwior, who may have rescued his Arsenal career with his recent form.
READ MORE: Arsenal's 10 most expensive transfers of all time
Kiwior thriving after returning to Arsenal fold
Kiwior has struggled for first team minutes since joining Arsenal in January 2023 for €19.5m and the 25-year-old was expected to be sold this summer with minimal fuss.
Current ETV
Jakub Kiwior
D (CL)
Arsenal
Jakub Kiwior
D (CL)
Arsenal
ETV Range
€22.7M - €27.7M
But the injury picked up by Gabriel at the start of the month has seen Kiwior enjoy his longest spell of gametime all season, with the Polish international playing every minute of Arsenal’s last five games.
The Gunners have remained unbeaten in that time, with Kiwior receiving significant praise for his performance in both Champions League quarter-final games against Real Madrid after coming in from the cold.
Kiwior has proven he can be relied on for depth when Arsenal need him most and, having also displayed the versatility to play at left-back, Arteta could be justified in keeping the defender around for another season.
Such a decision would allow Arsenal to avoid a luxury signing like Murillo and focus their attention on the areas where they truly lack depth and quality to ensure they can build on this campaign and finally end their Premier League hoodoo.
The FootballTransfers app
Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.
The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:
