Arsenal were interested in signing Ivan Fresneda from Real Valladolid this summer.
The Spanish full-back had a really impressive breakthrough season during the 2022/23 campaign. Fresneda featured 22 times for Valladolid in La Liga last season; playing 1774′ minutes at just 18-years-old in one of Europe’s top five leagues allowed him to gain valuable experience at such a young player.
That’s why some of the biggest clubs in the world are after the 18-year-old this summer, however it appears the race for Fresneda is nearly up with Barcelona closing in on his signature.
Real Valladolid were relegated to the Spanish second tier last season which has meant Ivan Fresneda is available for a cut-price this summer as a player with his ability should be playing for a top team.
According to Marca, Fresneda’s representatives have been in talks with Barcelona, and the Catalan club appears to be making progress in their pursuit of the player. This development suggests that Arsenal, along with other clubs like Borussia Dortmund, are likely to miss out on securing the signing of another highly-regarded young talent.
Arsenal also tried to sign the Spaniard in January with Mikel Arteta a big fan of the player, however Fresneda didn’t want to leave the club mid-season during a relegation battle. The Gunners have turned their attention elsewhere this summer with Jurrien Timber set to join the club for a deal worth up £40million. The Dutch international underwent his medical on Friday with an official announcement expected early next week.
Arsenal will now look to sell players before bringing in any more reinforcements. However with Fresneda closing in on a move to Barcelona, the Gunners will now have to look elsewhere later in the window for more quality in depth in the defensive area.
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