Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund have reportedly been handed a boost in their pursuit of Real Valladolid starlet Ivan Fresneda.
The 18-year-old right-back only made his professional debut in January last year and has since enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2022-23 with the La Liga club, starting eight of his 10 top-flight matches.
Fresneda's performances for Valladolid are believed to have caught the eye of a number of top European clubs in recent months including Mikel Arteta's Arsenal, who currently sit at the Premier League summit.
Bundesliga side Dortmund are also said to hold a strong interest in the teenager, who is under contract at Valladolid until June 2025, while the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle United are three more teams keeping tabs on his situation.
A recent report claims that Arsenal were confident of fending off stern competition from Dortmund to secure the services of Fresneda this month for a fee in the region of £13m.
© Reuters
Meanwhile, a separate report stated that the defender was set to choose between the Gunners and BVB as his next destination on Monday.
However, any proposed transfer late in the January window appeared to be off after journalist Fabrizio Romano claimed that the Spain Under-19 international was set to remain at Valladolid unless "there are twists in the final hours."
On Monday, Valladolid were allegedly "convinced" that they would keep hold of Fresneda this month, but Romano has since provided an update on the defender's situation and claims there could be "some changes" on deadline day.
Romano adds that Fresneda's situation is one to follow, with clubs keen to reach an agreement to sign the right-back with a view to him joining up ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
Arsenal have largely used Ben White as a makeshift right-back so far this season as Takehiro Tomiyasu has been hampered with injuries, while Cedric Soares is seemingly deemed surplus to requirements.
Dortmund, meanwhile, have already recruited a right-back this month, spending around €5m on 25-year-old Julian Ryerson from Union Berlin.
Oliver Thomas
