Arsenal ‘leading the race’ for Real Madrid sensation as ‘bidding war’ threatens Arteta pursuit

Arsenal are reportedly ‘leading the race’ to sign a Real Madrid wonderkid, but they face competition from Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan.

Mikel Arteta’s side sit top of the Premier League after 26 games and decided against strengthening in the January transfer window as they chase a first league title in 22 years.

Arsenal eyeing the Quadruple

The Gunners are also in the last 16 of the Champions League, the fifth round of the FA Cup, and have reached the Carabao Cup final, where they will face title rivals Manchester City on March 22.

There was no real need for Arsenal to spend any money in the winter transfer window, especially after a big summer spending spree that saw the arrivals of eight new first-team players, including Viktor Gyokeres and Ebere Eze.

Regardless of what title(s) Arsenal win this season, they will be expected to improve in the summer 2026 transfer window, though spending hundreds of millions of pounds should only be necessary if they somehow wind up trophyless this campaign.

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One of the players on Arteta’s radar is Real Madrid teenager Víctor Valdepenas.

Valdepenas is a regular for Real Madrid Castilla but has made one appearance for the first team this season, starting at left-back in a La Liga match at Alaves on December 14.

He has not featured since but clearly made a big impression, as there is significant transfer interest across Europe.

Arsenal face ‘bidding war’ for Real Madrid wonderkid

The latest comes from Spanish outlet AS (via Sport Witness), where it’s claimed a ‘bidding war is brewing’.

Arsenal are seriously interested in signing natural centre-back Valdepenas but face competition from German sides Leverkusen and Dortmund, as well as Italian giants Milan.

The Premier League side’s interest was first reported in mid-December after the 19-year-old’s Madrid debut, with Arteta always looking to strengthen his defence.

Despite interest from elsewhere, Arsenal have ‘the strongest interest’ and appear to be leading the race for the Spanish Under-19 international’s signature.

The Gunners’ interest has not been impacted by other clubs joining the race, with Dortmund and Leverkusen reportedly tracking the player’s progress since 2024.

There has been no contact made by Milan, but they are keen, the report adds.

Valdepenas’ ability to play across the defence makes him an attractive proposition for Arsenal manager Arteta, who has often signed natural central defenders to play at full-back.

Real Madrid star perfect for defensive-minded Arteta

Ben White was the first example of this. He joined from Brighton in 2021 and played his first full season at centre-back before moving to right-back from 2022/23.

Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie are more recent examples of players signed to play left-back despite spending the majority of their careers in the heart of defence.

This tactical ploy allows for more defensive solidity without losing too much attacking threat.

Calafiori on the left and Jurrien Timber on the right have both shown a lot of promise going forward and add to Arsenal’s threat from set-pieces.

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