Arsenal eye €60m youngster as part of talks with agency representing another target

Arsenal are among the Premier League clubs leading the race over the potential transfer of one of the Bundesliga’s most exciting young talents.

As first revealed via the Daily Briefing, the player in question is Can Uzun of Eintracht Frankfurt, the 20-year-old forward who’s drawn comparisons with Dimitar Berbatov after some classy displays in Germany in recent years.

Arsenal are looking to strengthen their attack, and my understanding is that they’ve sounded out Uzun’s agency 11WINS about Uzun as they’re also exploring a move for another of their clients, Club Brugge striker Nicolo Tresoldi.

Aston Villa, Brighton, and Everton are also understood to have been monitoring the Turkey international, while Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, and Napoli have looked at him in the past.

Eintracht Frankfurt know they have a huge talent on their hands, and as he’s under contract until 2029, they’re in a strong negotiating position.

“Arsenal have had some initial contacts about Can Uzun,” one source confirmed to me. “I can’t say for sure if he’s at the top of their list, but they like him and they’re not alone in that. Eintracht Frankfurt are aware of the interest, but will point to his €60m release clause.”

Needless to say, sources familiar with Arsenal’s transfer plans doubt the club would pay quite that much for a relatively unproven young player, so it may be that this won’t go anywhere particularly concrete for now.

Waiting another year or so could make sense for the Gunners, as they’ll get more of a look at how Uzun develops, while him coming closer to the end of his contract puts pressure on Eintracht to lower their demands.

It’s also worth noting that, for now at least, the player is not pushing to leave his current club, but one imagines he’ll have his head turned if interest from big names like Arsenal becomes more concrete.

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