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Arsenal 'have already moved' to sign Spanish starlet but Liverpool pose transfer threat
Arsenal are linked with a move for a highly-rated Spanish youngster.
Arsenal 'have already moved' in their attempts to sign young Spanish right-back Ivan Fresneda, according to reports. However, Liverpool and a host of other Premier League clubs are also interested in the player.
Fresneda only made his professional debut for Valladolid in September. He turned 18 later that month and has now made seven appearances in all competitions for the La Liga side.
And it appears his performances have already caught the eye of teams across England and Europe. With the January transfer window opening in just over two weeks' time, there could be a mad rush in an attempt to sign him.
Spanish outlet AS says interested clubs will likely have to make their move in January as they will have missed the boat come the summer. Arsenal are said to have already made a move for Fresneda.
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But Liverpool are also keen on the player, as are a long list of other English clubs. Newcastle, Wolves, Leeds, Brentford, Fulham, Everton and Southampton are all named, as are Italian giants Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Roma.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are also tracking the player's progress, and Atletico were close to a deal a year ago. Vallodolid resisted a sale then and are now set to reap the benefits.
Fresneda has a release clause in his contract which grows with the number of matches he plays. His most recent contract initially had a clause of around £8.5million (€10m).
But after making six appearances for the first team, that has now grown to £25.7m (€30m). Another advantage for clubs to secure a deal in January is that Fresneda's clause will only continue to increase the more he plays.
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AS claims the clause will go up to £38.6m (€45m) once he has played 22 matches. Interested clubs could negotiate a deal at a lower price but the higher the clause, the more power Valladolid will have in that regard.
If Arsenal were to sign Fresneda, it would be unlikely that he would get a clear route to the first team straight away. Ben White has starred at right-back this season, while Takehiro Tomiyasu is waiting in the wings for his chance.
Cedric Soares could leave due to a lack of game time, so a spot as third-choice right-back could open up. Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold's presence at Liverpool would likely make Fresneda's first-team prospects even harder at Anfield.
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