Arsenal star ‘wants to leave’ for old league despite praise for role in Real Madrid battering

Ciaran McCarthy 09 Apr 2025 1:57 PM

Jakub Kiwior wants to head back to Italy from Arsenal

Jakub Kiwior reportedly ‘wants to leave’ Arsenal and will prioritise a return to Italy, despite being praised by his manager for a useful performance against Real Madrid.

Kiwior played a role in Arsenal‘s battering of Real on Tuesday night. The Polish defender played the full 90 minutes in the absence of Gabriel Magalhaes, contributing towards the shutout of one of the most potent attacks in world football.

After the game, his manager, Mikel Arteta, stated: “We lost maybe our best defender for four months, then Jakub Kiwior comes in and delivers the performances he’s delivering. It’s not a coincidence.”

But a start and a good performance against Real, and the praise of his manager, does not seem to be enough to keep the centre-back at the club.

TBRFootball reports Kiwior ‘wants to leave’ regardless of what happens before the end of the season. It’s believed, though, that he appreciates his role and how he has progressed since joining, the defender ‘knows’ that unless Gabriel or William Saliba leave, he is ‘not going to be starting’.

It is not absolutely certain that won’t happen, with Saliba said to be on the radar of Real themselves, but even then, new signing Riccardo Calafiori would be likely to be given more minutes in the centre, having played more often than Kiwior this term.

It’s believed the Pole would ‘ideally like to return’ to Italian football, where there’s no shortage of interest in him.

The report states Juventus, Napoli, Bologna and Inter Milan are all keen on Kiwior, with the latter taking an opportunity to watch potential Champions League final opponents Arsenal on Thursday as a chance to also keep one eye on the defender’s performance.

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If the Gunners are to get through Real, they’d meet either Paris Saint-Germain or Aston Villa in the semi-finals. On the other side, Inter – 2-1 up against Bayern Munich – would face either Barcelona or Borussia Dortmund.

That means if both get through, Arsenal will be facing Inter in the final, and with Kiwior playing well against Real and Gabriel out for the season, it’s likely the Serie A side would be able to watch him up close.

While the defender wants to leave, Arsenal would rather he stays, but if he’s not happy with his role, the club may be prepared to let him go.

Arsenal Jakub Kiwior