Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior is reportedly ready to push for an exit away from the Emirates Stadium.
At the start of 2023, the Gunners made the decision to part with a reported £20m to sign Kiwior from Italian side Spezia.
Although the Poland international was not expected to become a mainstay in the starting lineup anytime soon, there was hope that he would prove to be a valuable squad member.
Instead, nearly two years into his stay in North London, just 29 starts and 22 substitute outings have been made in all competitions.
According to Il Mattino, Kiwior has now decided to explore the possibility of a move away from the Premier League giants.
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A return to Serie A in the offing?
Kiwior has allegedly requested that his representatives determine whether he is able to secure another stint in Serie A.
Napoli are namechecked as the favourites to secure a deal for the 24-year-old if Arsenal are open to parting ways with the versatile defender.
That is despite Antonio Conte's side possessing the best defensive record in Italy's top flight with just 11 goals conceded in 16 matches.
Furthermore, their back four has largely remained unchanged since the middle of August at a time when Napoli do not have European football on their calendar.
Other Italian clubs who are participating on the continent could join the race for Kiwior in due course.
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Would Arteta consider allowing Kiwior to leave?
Kiwior has shown in recent games that he has the capabilities to provide capable backup for Mikel Arteta having contributed to the clean sheets kept versus Manchester United and Monaco.
On the flip side, it is known that William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are essentially certain starters in the middle of the defence when both are fit.
That will be the fear for Kiwior should he stay at Arsenal having still only reached five starts and eight substitute outings during 2024-25.
From Arteta's perspective, though, there is already the possibility of Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko leaving the club at a time when Takehiro Tomiyasu has suffered frequent injury issues.
Therefore, it appears highly unlikely at this point that Arteta will give the green light to an exit for Kiwior.
Darren Plant
